Just days before the midterms, Holbrook Middle-High School students were able to cast their own votes in a mock election. On Thursday, November 2, a total of 449 staff and students voted on the races for governor, Senate, and the ballot questions. The results of the mock election were mostly similar to the state and local results of the midterm, but there were some key differences.

Question 3 was one of the more controversial topics on the ballot, dealing with the addition of transgender individuals to the list of communities that citizens and companies are prohibited to discriminate against in public places. A law about this was passed in 2016, but the ballot question was about whether or not it should remain in place.

While Question 3 passed in all three sets of results, Holbrook Middle-High School had the highest percentage of “Yes” votes, at 75%. On the state level, it passed with 68% of the vote and, in Holbrook, a mere 57%. Rachel Cohan, a junior at HMHS, is frustrated with the fact that such a low percentage of Holbrook voted “Yes.” She says, “It’s a basic human right. In my opinion, it shouldn’t even be on the ballot.”

Some Holbrook seniors were able to vote in the actual election. One of these seniors, Aiden Kelly, found voting to be a very interesting experience. He says, “When I was younger, I never saw the purpose really. I grew up around people that talked about how voting didn’t matter. Like it’s cool not to vote and it’s cool not to care, but when young people don’t care we don’t get people who we want into office. For me, as a young person who votes, if no one else is going to in my demographic, then I feel a greater responsibility to.”

In the mock election for governor, 64% of the vote went to Charlie Baker. In the regular election, Governor Baker maintained his seat, winning 73% of the vote in Holbrook and 67% in Massachusetts overall.

As for the Senate, the high school election results were more similar to that of Massachusetts overall than the Town of Holbrook. Senator Warren won the midterm election with 60% of the vote statewide and also received 60% of the vote at the high school. In Holbrook, however, the race was closer, with Warren winning 52% of the vote and Republican candidate Geoff Diehl receiving 46%,

Holbrook students and staff seem to be more likely to vote for independent candidates, as 11% of the Senate votes went to Shiva Ayyadurai. In the regular midterms, he received 2.7% of Holbrook’s vote and 3.4% in Massachusetts overall.

As for the ballot questions, Question 1 was a resounding “No” in all three sets of election results. This question was about whether the state should establish patient limits for nurses in hospitals. On the state and local level, 70% of voters voted ‘no,’ and 73% voted ‘no’ at Holbrook Middle-High.

On Question 2, regarding creating a committee to investigate campaign funding, 71% of Massachusetts voters and 67% of Holbrook voters said “Yes.” The race was slightly closer at Holbrook Middle High, with 60% of the vote as “No” and 40% as “Yes.”