New Haven Independent

Democrat Obama collected 38,452 votes, or 86.6 percent of votes cast at the polls as well as absentee ballots. Republican John McCain picked up 5,017, or 11.3 percent of the votes cast. Independent Ralph Nader? Less than 1 percent.

Two-thirds of the city’s 65,809 registered voters turned out to the polls.

The Registrar of Voters Office released the complete final tallies shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

They showed a clear majority — 60.6 percent — of the vote registering as “no” to “Question 1,” which would have led to a state constitutional convention. The “yes” vote’s organizers hoped to use the convention eventually to reverse a recent State Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. (The “no” vote prevailed statewide as well.)

The voting landscape on that question was more varied. The “no” side ran up large margins in Westville, West River, East Rock, downtown, Wooster Square, and Yale’s Ward 1. The “yes” side prevailed in two out of three Fair Haven wards and in two Newhallville wards.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro picked up 76.6 percent of the city vote on two ballot lines (Democratic and Working Families parties). Republicay Boaz ItxHaky collected 5.6 percent of the city vote; Green Ralph Ferrucci, 2.79 percent.

In New Haven. State Sen. Toni Harp of the 11th District collected 19,138 votes compared to Republican challenger Melissa Papantones’ 1,508. (The district also includes a slice of West Haven.) Democratic State Rep. Pat Dillon collected 7,058 votes compared to Republican challenger Paul Ortiz’s 726 in the 92nd General Assembly District. Other state legislators ran unopposed.

Green Charlie Pillsbury failed in a bid to place second in the race for registrar of voters, which he needed to do to win a position. He collected 2,907 votes compared to Republican Rae Tramontano’s 3,399 and Democrat Sharon Ferrucci’s 29,647.

On a second ballot question, 24,757 New Haveners voted in favor of allowing 17 year-olds to vote in primaries if they’ll turn 18 by the general election; 8,445 voted no.