Politics & Government

UPDATED: 55 Percent Voter Turnout at 7 PM

Polls will be open until 8 p.m. Tuesday for voting on the casino question.

UPDATED: 55 percent of Milford's registered voters have already cast ballots in the town referendum on the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino, as of the 7 p.m. count.

The number will include some absentee ballots, which are counted as time allows in the Milford Town Clerk's offices. Absentee ballots can be turned into the clerk's office until the close of polls, at 8 p.m.

By precinct, the largest showing so far has been Precinct 5, with 1,690 votes cast, followed by Precinct 7, with 1,547 votes. Precincts 8 and 2 followed closely behind in numbers, with 1,335 votes cast and 1,171.

Precinct 5 is northwestern Milford. The precinct includes neighborhoods that move along West Street, bordering both Hopedale and Upton. Precinct 2 is an area that follows East Main Street and includes most of the homes closest to the casino site.

David Nunes, the chief development officer of Foxwoods Massachusetts, said the turnout was as expected by the development group. Foxwoods anticipates the turnout will be in the 60 to 70 percent range. Nunes would not say, about 6:30 p.m, what the various precinct turnouts meant for the prospects of the casino. How close might the vote be? "I don't think it's going to be a blowout," he said.

Similarly, Steve Trettel, a leader of Casino Free Milford, said he wasn't sure what the high turnout in certain precincts meant for the group's side. "Honestly, I don't know," he said, about 6 p.m.

Precinct 7 includes northeastern Milford, including the sections of Cedar and Purchase streets that run into Hopkinton, as well as Camp and Branch streets.

Smaller turnouts are being reported in Precincts 1 and 4, which include downtown Milford areas.

The town has 17,400 voters registered for the casino referendum.

At the Portuguese American Club, where four of the town's eight precincts are located, voters were streaming into the building all day, beginning at the opening of polls at 7 a.m.

Voters exiting the polls said they voted quickly, and had made up their minds long before Tuesday.

Lisa Cyr, a resident of Precinct 7, said she voted for the casino. "Overall, the benefits were greater than the negatives," she said. "This will impact Milford more positively than not."

Another voter, Tom Davey, a 41-year resident of Milford, said he voted against the casino development. "Primarily I'm concerned about the traffic and the water situation," he said.

Original Post:

Polls opened in Milford Tuesday to dozens of voters waiting to cast ballots on the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino question. The doors opened early at the Portuguese Club, to let people inside the building, and by 7 a.m., more than 30 people had walked inside.

By 9 a.m., 233 people had voted in Precinct 3 and 213 people in Precinct 2 at the Italian American Veterans Club location, a rate of about 100 people an hour per precinct. Precinct 2 is a swath of Milford along East Main Street, including homes to the east of Milford Pond, out to the east Milford area closest to the casino site.

Outside the polling locations, supporters and opponents of the casino proposal bundled up on a cold election morning, waving signs and trying to encourage beeps and other shows of support from drivers.

At the Portuguese Club, one of the first people voting Monday was John Seaver, a leader of the opposition group Casino Free Milford. 

No line was outside the door at 7:20 a.m., despite heavy early turnout, as people were voting quickly and leaving the site. Milford Police are on site directing traffic.

The polls will remain open in Milford until 8 p.m.

Voters are deciding whether to endorse a proposed $1 billion resort casino development for a nearly 200-acre site off I-495 and Route 16, about a mile from the Holliston line.

Only Milford voters can participate in the referendum on the casino question.

If the proposal gains town voter support, it will then head to a Dec. 9 Special Town Meeting in Milford. Town Meeting members will be asked to approve zoning changes at the site to allow the casino.

Selectmen on Monday approved the Special Town Meeting warrant.

The development is sought by Foxwoods Massachusetts, a company made up of several partners that is seeking the single resort casino license available for the greater Boston region. The decision will be made by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Competitors for the Boston region include the Wynn Resorts development in Everett, which has already passed a voter referendum.

The Suffolk Downs proposal remains in question. Its developer is trying to place it on the portion of the site in Revere, where voters approved the project two weeks ago at a referendum. Voters in East Boston rejected it, however.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here