Marblehead's Proposition 2½ voting history

44 years of ballot questions, 1982–2025
114
Total Questions
76
Passed
38
Failed
67%
Pass Rate

Results by decade

1980s
4
8
4 / 8
1990s
19
14
19 / 14
2000s
31
3
31 / 3
2010s
17
11
17 / 11
2020s
5
2
5 / 2
Passed
Failed

Results by question type

Debt exclusions
84
Total
68
Passed
16
Failed
81%
Pass Rate
Operating overrides
21
Total
3
Passed
18
Failed
14%
Pass Rate
Capital exclusions
9
Total
5
Passed
4
Failed
56%
Pass Rate

Every vote at a glance

Each square represents one ballot question. Hover to see details.

1980s
82
88
88
88
88
88
88
88
88
89
89
89
1990s
90
90
91
91
91
92
92
92
93
93
94
94
95
95
95
95
95
95
96
96
96
96
96
97
97
97
97
97
97
98
98
99
99
2000s
00
00
00
00
00
01
01
01
01
01
01
02
02
02
03
03
03
04
04
05
05
05
05
05
06
06
06
07
07
07
08
08
09
09
2010s
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
11
11
12
12
12
12
13
13
15
16
16
18
18
19
19
19
2020s
21
21
22
22
23
25
25

Notable votes

Year Question Type Cost Yes % Margin Result
2019 Bell/Gerry School construction Debt exclusion $54.8M 63.5% +1,464 Passed
2011 Glover School design/construction Debt exclusion $25.5M 55.2% +641 Passed
2022 Infrastructure Bundle Debt exclusion $24.4M 60.6% +1,169 Passed
2008 Village School renovation Debt exclusion $21.8M 65.4% +1,128 Passed
2025 MHS roof and HVAC Debt exclusion $8.6M 73.8% +2,840 Passed
2018 Abbot Hall renovation Debt exclusion $9M 71.3% +801 Passed
2019 Fort Sewall repairs Debt exclusion $750K 83.2% +3,589 Passed
2022 School operating budget Override $3.05M 31.4% −2,127 Failed
2010 Glover School construction Debt exclusion $28.8M 49.4% −71 Failed

Key insights

Debt exclusions pass; overrides don't. Voters approve debt exclusions 81 percent of the time but reject operating overrides 86 percent of the time. Only three overrides have passed since 1982.

2010 was a turning point. Voters rejected all 10 questions that June, the worst single-election defeat in town history. One year later, many of the same projects returned and passed.

The 2000s were the high-water mark. That decade saw 31 of 34 questions pass, a 91 percent approval rate that remains unmatched.

Recent margins are strong. The 2019 Fort Sewall repairs earned 83 percent support and the 2025 MHS roof project passed with nearly 74 percent — among the highest approval rates on record.