Politics

BOSTON (AP) ― Massachusetts voters picked Democrats Barack Obama for president and Sen. John Kerry for re-election Tuesday amid a projected record-setting turnout, but the fate of three weighty ballot questions remained in question as polls closed.

Obama, an Illinois senator vying to become the first black president, bested John McCain, an Arizona Republican aiming to be the oldest to assume the presidency. Kerry cruised to a fifth term over Republican Jeff Beatty, a former CIA official and Army Delta Force member from Harwich.

The Associated Press called the races for Obama and Kerry based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for the AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

"This is history in the making; it's being made today," said Rocky Slaughter, a caretaker for special needs adults in Springfield. She said she voted for Obama because of his opposition to the war in Iraq and his message of change.

The victory came four years after Kerry failed in his own bid for the presidency, a race noteworthy for the prime-time speaking role he gave to Obama at the convention in Boston when Obama was Illinois state senator yet to even take his place in Congress.

The intensity of the campaign between McCain and Obama appeared to be the prime motivator for a projected record turnout.

Yet with Massachusetts tilted heavily Democratic, the outcome of three ballot questions was most in doubt.

Question One proposed eliminating the state's 5.3 percent income tax by January 2010. Tanya Roman, a 29-year-old assistant for a domestic violence program, voted no, fearing it would mean deep cuts in funding for education and services for senior citizens.

"I think that's unjust. How are people supposed to survive in today's economy?" she said.

Jim Slater, a 40-year-old accountant from Topsfield, said he hoped a "yes" vote would shock state politicians into curbing spending.

"By forcing the politicians to start looking at spending, maybe they'll do something about it," he said. "If nothing's done, the system will crash on itself."

The second question proposed decriminalizing possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Massachusetts, punishing those caught with the drug with a $100 civil fine instead of criminal penalties. Question Three proposed prohibiting any dog racing that included betting or wagering -- an indirect means of closing the state's two greyhound racetracks by Jan. 1, 2010.

Of 11 congressional races, just five -- including Kerry's seat -- were contested. The other six members were unopposed for another two-year term, while Sen. Edward Kennedy's term does not expire to 2012.

Secretary of State William Galvin had predicted a record statewide turnout, with more than 3 million people expected to vote. The previous record, set in 2004, was 2.93 million voters.

A record 4.2 million people were registered to vote in Massachusetts in this election.

Despite the numbers, problems were few.

In Cambridge, some residents discovered their names were missing from eligible voter lists. Corrected lists were later distributed at polling sites, and anyone affected was allowed to cast a provisional ballot, Galvin said.
 
Galvin's office also sent an e-mail to WEEI-AM talk show hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan telling them to stop joking that the election had been postponed and Democrats should vote Wednesday. Jason Wolfe, the station's programing and operations chief, said the hosts "were obviously joking about a story that has received significant media coverage." He said the station has been reminding listeners to vote Tuesday.

In Somerville, the lines were long but the mood was light, as some voters allowed older people to cut ahead. Gov. Deval Patrick stood in line in Milton, just south of Boston, then headed to his native Chicago to attend Obama's election night festivities.

Dewitt Jones, 51, waited in line in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood while his 8- and 11-year-old sons did some last-minute campaigning nearby with Obama signs and stickers. His oldest son, Cameron, even had a chart to track the states when returns started coming in.

"He hasn't taken his hat off -- he has an Obama hat -- for several months," Jones said.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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