From Kamala Harris at the national level to Josh Tarsky locally, Needham voters overwhelmingly selected Democratic candidates. Moving down ballot to state referendum questions, however, a slightly purple tinge becomes visible. Some of the seemingly most progressive policies were not supported by Needham voters.
Some ballot questions themselves did not reflect the traditional partisan divide. Support for the MCAS is not a specifically conservative or a liberal position. Arguments could be made for either or neither. This past Tuesday, Needham voters were in sync with the rest of the state on three of the five referendum questions. Needham voted not to legalize growing and using psychedelics at home and not to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers. They also voted overwhelmingly to allow the state auditor to audit the state legislature.
The majority of Needham voters were out of sync with the state on the ballot question that allowed Lyft and Uber drivers to unionize, however. And although Needham voted to retain the MCAS as a graduation requirement, a majority of voters in the commonwealth voted to eliminate the requirement.
For some, those decisions were positive outcomes. Tom Griffin, partner and general manager of The Common Room on Dedham Avenue, said the failure of Question 5 was a big relief to everyone in the restaurant industry. “It shouldn’t have even been on the ballot,” he said. “Nobody wanted it.”
Superintendent of Schools Dan Gutekanst said the state’s elimination of the MCAS as a requirement to graduate will not affect the education being offered in Needham schools. The MCAS will still be administered in grades 3-8 and grade 10, but it will no longer be a high-stakes test. Gutekanst said he is not concerned with the loss of potentially valuable data from the exam.
“Testing provides a snapshot not a complete picture,” he said.
He also believes sophomores will continue to take the exam seriously. “Even tests that are not high stakes are still an opportunity to practice important skills.”
MCAS scores may still affect scholarship opportunities, including tuition rates at some state schools.
Needham High School principal Aaron Sicotte pointed out there are still a wide range of graduation requirements. The program of studies lists 10 separate graduation requirements including the successful completion of courses in seven different disciplines. For example, a student must pass four years of English and three years of social studies, including a yearlong course in U.S. history.
Liz Lee, chair of the School Committee, had no comment on the repeal of the MCAS as a graduation requirement.
Meanwhile, at the top of the ballot, Needham went overwhelmingly for Harris — a result almost identical to that of Boston voters. However, the results of the ballot questions reveal a sharp difference with the town’s more urban neighbors.
Liberal ideology typically favors government measures that help the economically disadvantaged and support personal freedoms. Political theorists describe liberalism as combining economic populism with social libertarianism. But a majority of Needham voters opposed raising the minimum wage for tipped workers, the right to unionize and the 2022 ballot measure to add a tax to earned incomes above $1 million. Needham also voted against the legalization of psychedelics in 2024 and against the legalization of cannabis in 2016 favoring more conservative positions.
For most of the 20th century, in fact, Needham and its surrounding towns were solidly Republican. Needham voted against FDR and the New Deal four times, and it voted against native son John F. Kennedy, favoring Nixon in 1960 (then also supporting him in 1968 and 1972). Needham voted against another Massachusetts presidential candidate in 1988, preferring George H.W. Bush to Michael Dukakis, 48%-47%.
Starting in 1992 with Bill Clinton, a majority of Needham voters have favored the Democratic presidential candidate. As Needham’s population diversified — adding Catholics, Jews and voters from more diverse backgrounds — Needham began to vote for more Democrats for federal and state office. Its red-er neighbor, Dover, began a similar shift later, but not as completely. The first Democratic candidate to win Dover’s vote for president was Obama in 2008, but swung back in 2012 when a majority of Dover voters abandoned Obama in favor of Mitt Romney.
Wellesley, although similar to Needham in its support for Harris, demonstrated an even greater reluctance to support measures to legalize drugs or raise taxes on the wealthy. Needham voters supported a 4% state tax surcharge on incomes above $1 million annually by 45%, whereas only 37% in Wellesley supported this progressive policy shift.
The ballot questions reveal a complex electorate that defies a simple characterization as either liberal or conservative. Needham voters clearly hew their own path through the tangle of current issues, and the town’s changing demographics will, no doubt, continue to affect voting trends.
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