Wednesday final day to register for Lynn voting

LYNN – With Wednesday?s deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 final election looming, the number of registered residents is well above the 44,000 mark for the Sept. 15 preliminary election.Local voters have until 8 p.m. to register to play a pivotal role in deciding who will be the city?s next mayor and who will serve on the City Council and School Committee.?Wednesday is the last opportunity for people to make sure they are eligible to make choices on who will be making the key decisions that affect their community and their families,” said Secretary of State William GalvinWednesday is also the last day to register to vote in Nov. 3 final elections scheduled in Revere, Peabody and Saugus. Election offices in these communities and others across the state will be open until 8 p.m.The city?s voter registration count for Friday was 49,164 with registration increases in wards where Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. and Councilor at Large Judith Flanagan Kennedy battled for votes during the preliminary election.While Clancy enjoyed strong support in Ward 7 and Kennedy won Ward 3, the city?s other five wards proved to be battlegrounds. All of the contested wards saw increases in their number of registered voters this year compared to past municipal elections.In addition to Clancy and Kennedy, Councilor at Large incumbents Timothy Phelan, Paul Crowley and Daniel Cahill are battling citywide for votes on Nov. 3 along with former councilor Stephen Duffy and newcomers George Meimeteas and Eugene Schneeberg.School Committee members are also campaigning across the city with incumbents Vincent Spirito, John Ford, Donna Coppola, Jeffrey Newhall, Patricia Capano and Maria Carrasco vying for votes along with challengers Dolores DiFillipo, Harrison Harley III and Richard Starbard.Ward 1?s 9,303 registered voters stand in contrast to 7,145 registered in 2005. In Ward 2, where incumbent William Trahant Jr. faces challenger William Cooksey, 7,056 residents are registered compared to 6,325 registered for the September preliminary.Wards 1, 3, 6 and 7 do not feature contested final elections but Ward 4 incumbent Richard Colucci is facing off with political newcomer Gina Grandberry. Ward 4 has 6,184 voters registered for the final compared to 5,371 registered for the preliminary and 4,354 voters registered in the ward in 2007.There are 6,369 voters registered in Ward 5 where Brendan Crighton faces off with James Stafford in the final election. In 2005, 3,702 voters were registered in Ward 5.Click here for complete Lynnelection coverage, candidate profiles and more. You may also comment on theelection and read what others have to say.