Page 4 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 11, 2026 EDITORIAL: For the first time in 20 years, voter numbers rose in Malden’s September 1 State Primary; Could it be a trend? We can only hope T oday, the city of Malden has more residents — close to or over 70,000 — than it has ever had in its nearly four centuries of existence. Malden also now has on its rolls the most registered voters in municipal history as well — 38,625 in all — close to half of its total population. It may have gone unnoticed in the recent September 1 State Primary Election, but voter turnout in that election was the highest for a state primary in the city of Malden in OVER 20 YEARS, dating back to the early 2000s. Want more numbers? How about the fact that voter turnout September 1 also topped every municipal primary election dating back to the early 2000s? More voters marked ballots in the September 1 State Primary than in two of the last three FIJ& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. Monogram D4 Double siding Cedar impression half rounds Harvey Vinyl Replacement Windows Custom Aluminum Trim work Windows & Doors Top quality Vinyl Siding! •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Fully Licensed •Fully Insured Everett Aluminum Supplies Celebrating 67 Years in Business Since 1958! ws NAL municipal elections! That includes the 2025 election, which featured a contested mayoral election, and the 2023 election, which did not have a mayoral vote. The September 1 State Primary turnout even very nearly equaled the final Malden municipal election of 2021, which included another contested mayoral vote. Malden’s state primary voter turnout also surpassed the total in S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping It may not have been overwhelming, but it certainly WAS a notable increase in voter turnout in Malden’s September 1 State Primary Election, higher than every similar election in over 20 years, as well as 35% increase than two out of the last three Final Municipal Elections. (Advocate Photo) this past March 31 Special Election, the pivotal Proposition 2 1/2 Override Election, where this city’s voters chose not to back the tax increase. Maybe it was just a crest of a voter wave, destined to roll back softly in the other direction the next time an election is held. Maybe it was just a blip on the proverbial voter radar, an inexplicable anomaly. Or, how about just giving our city’s voters a round of applause for coming to the polls in greater numbers than usual? We will even settle for the dialed back golf clap on this one. But at least acknowledge it, since, as we all know, numbers don’t lie. Malden’s state primary voter turnout was certainly not eye-opening or mind boggling. But it was more than the others mentioned above! All told, some 7,950 voters cast ballots on September 1 in Malden’s 2026 State Primary Election. That represents 20.5% of this city’s 38,625 registered voters, a historical high for city rolls, as we already stated. In the landmark Prop. 2 1/2 override Special Election last March, just 15% voted. No more than 17% of registered voters in Malden voted in the 2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2008 State Primary Elections in Malden. In the last final Municipal Election in Malden in 2025, just 15% of voters marked ballots. A 35% rise in voter turnout from both the Prop. 2 1/2 Special Election and that city election alone — from 15% to 20.5% — is a 35% rise, no questions asked. For anyone looking for more voter turnout, who laments the low numbers, this increase, from one or two elections to the next, is quite EDITORIAL | SEE PAGE 9
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