By Thomas Grillo
LYNN — With less than four weeks until one of the most contentious presidential elections in recent memory, the North Shore has seen record numbers of people register to vote.
The total number of voters since the last presidential race has swelled by the thousands in the eight communities covered by The Item.
As of this week, 12,822 new voters have registered in Lynn, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Nahant, Peabody, Revere, Saugus and Swampscott, bringing the total to 173,829.
In Lynn, Karen Richard in the City Clerk’s office said as of this week, the city has 51,795 eligible voters, that’s up nearly 4 percent from 49,851 in the 2012 race for president.The region’s city clerks say the high turnout is likely due to the increased interest in this year’s election that pits Democrat Hillary Clinton against Republican Donald Trump.The deadline for registration in Massachusetts is Oct. 19 to vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election. Also new this year is early voting, as voters will be able to cast their ballots before Election Day, starting on Monday, Oct. 24.
“In my dozen years of experience, every presidential election is like this, people want to vote for the next president,” she said. “I will say this year’s race is getting even more attention.”
In Saugus, the latest number of registered voters has reached 18,644, up from 13,736 at the close of 2012, according to Ellen Schena, town clerk. The growth over the four-year period is 4,908 voters or nearly 36 percent.
“Oh my God, I have to tell you voter registration in Saugus has been unbelievable,” said Schena. “Last Monday and Tuesday alone, 250 registered online and they’re still coming in fast and furious.”
Based on in-person registrations, Schena said she can’t predict who will win the race for the White House.
“It’s evenly split between the two candidates based on the people who come in and make comments about who they will vote for,” she said. “We had a 91-year-old woman who said she had not voted in 40 years and wanted to be a part of this election.”
Robin Michaud, town clerk in Marblehead, reported 15,699 registered voters this week, up from 15,392 four years ago.
“It’s a modest increase,” she said. “But that number is changing daily and we still have a few days to go.”
In Peabody, the number of new voters has increased by more than 4 percent in the past four years to 37,400. City Clerk Timothy Spanos said in the last month alone, 758 new voters have registered and they’re still coming in.
“There’s been a spike from the governor’s race two years ago and four years since the presidential election,” he said. “It’s very busy now and has been for the last month. We are processing about 50 new voters every day either through the Registry of Motor Vehicles, online and mail-ins. There’s obviously more interest this year with the presidential election.”
In Revere, where voters will also be asked whether to approve a slots parlor next week, there are 27,727 voters, up from 26,204 in 2012, a nearly 6 percent hike.
“We are straight out,” said Diane R. Colella, election commissioner.
Lynnfield has seen among the largest increase as the number of voters reached 9,262 this week, up from 6,932 four years ago, according to City Clerk Trudy Reid.
“I’m seeing huge increases in voter registration online and through the Registry of Motor Vehicles. I am amazed,” she said.
“We’re precessing lots of new registrations and they are not just people who are turning 18.”
In Nahant, the number of new voters this year increased modestly to 2,684, up from 2,547 two years ago, and 2,512 in 2012, according to City Clerk Peggy Barile. That’s 172 new voters or a nearly 7 percent hike.
“In the last month, we’ve seen 70 new voters and that’s a lot for a small town,” said Barile. “We are very busy, that’s for sure, I’m thankful these elections are only every four years.”
In Swampscott, there are 10,618 registered voters today, up from 9,979 two years ago and 9,684 in 2012, a nearly 10 percent increase.
“I will be glad when it’s over,” said Susan Duplin, town clerk. “We have been registering about two dozen people online a day and that doesn’t include the number of new voters who walk in to register.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.