Honestly, staying on top of Cape Cod election results feels a bit like trying to track the tide at Nauset Beach—it's constantly shifting, and if you look away for a second, the landscape looks completely different. While the rest of the country focuses on the big-ticket national races, the real action for us locals happens in the small community rooms and high school gyms where town budgets and select board seats are decided.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the big 2024 and 2025 cycles, but the fallout from those votes is just now hitting the ground in early 2026. People tend to think that once the stickers are off and the signs are pulled from the side of Route 6, the "election" is over. It isn't.
Why the November 2025 Barnstable Results Still Matter Today
Let’s look at Barnstable. In the municipal elections held on November 4, 2025, we saw some shifts that are fundamentally changing how the town operates right now. In the race for School Committee, Andre King led the pack with 2,373 votes, followed by Courtney Marie West who secured 1,879 votes.
Why does this matter in 2026? Because these two are currently sitting in the hot seat during the winter budget sessions. They’re the ones deciding how to handle the rising costs of vocational education and regional school transportation. If you live in Precinct 2, you might remember Thomas Keane Jr. winning his seat with 475 votes, beating out Kristin Terkelsen. Those small margins—literally just dozens of votes in some precincts—are what dictate whether your street gets paved or your local library gets that extra hour of operation.
📖 Related: Weeks v. United States: Why This 1914 Case Still Scares Law Enforcement Today
The Harwich 2026 Outlook
If you’re in Harwich, the clock is ticking. The 2026 Annual Town Election is already looming, and the seat shuffle is real. We’ve got two Select Board seats opening up (currently held by Jeffrey Handler and Donald Howell), and the buzz around town is all about who is actually going to pull papers.
There’s also a specific vacancy on the Monomoy Regional School Committee for a one-year term to fill the spot left by Bre Rose. It’s these "fill-in" terms that people often ignore, but they're basically a trial run for anyone looking to make a serious mark on local policy.
The State-Level Ripple Effect
We can't talk about the Cape without mentioning Dylan Fernandes. His win in the Plymouth and Barnstable District (securing about 51.2% of the vote against Mathew Muratore) was a nail-biter. That 51-to-48 split shows just how purple our "Blue State" slice of the world can be.
When you look at the Cape Cod election results from that state senate race, you see a map that is deeply divided between the mainland and the islands. Fernandes carried the momentum, but the narrow margin means he’s under immense pressure to deliver on housing and ferry reliability—two things every Cape Codder has an opinion on.
What Most People Miss About the "Off-Season"
Most folks think elections only happen in November. Wrong.
Take the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Back in March 2025, they had a sub-regional election for Yarmouth and Dennis. Elizabeth "Liz" Argo from the Yarmouth Select Board was elected to represent Sub-region B.
Does it sound boring? Maybe. But the MPO is the group that decides where federal transportation money goes. If you’re frustrated by the construction on Route 28 or the bridge talk (and let’s be real, we’re all frustrated by the bridges), these are the "election results" that actually impact your commute.
Recent Results and Upcoming Deadlines (Winter 2026)
| Town/Entity | Office | Status/Result |
|---|---|---|
| Barnstable | Town Clerk | Ann M. Quirk (Re-elected Nov 2025) |
| Duxbury | Select Board | Nomination papers available now (Election: March 28, 2026) |
| Harwich | Water/Wastewater | Two vacancies to be filled May 2026 |
| State Senate | 1st Middlesex | Special Primary: Feb 3, 2026 |
It's sorta fascinating how the timing works. Right now, in mid-January 2026, we are in the "quiet" period where candidates are quietly gathering the 50 signatures they need to get on the March and May ballots. If you’re unhappy with how things are going, this is the window where the next round of Cape Cod election results is actually being written.
The Housing Authority Factor
One thing nobody talks about enough is the Housing Authority races. In Barnstable’s last run, Christopher Robert Lauzon and Eric Schwaab took the two available seats.
On an island—well, a peninsula—where the median home price is effectively "out of reach" for the people who actually work here, these results are arguably more important than who is in the White House. The Housing Authority dictates the pace of affordable developments. When you look at the 2025 numbers, thousands of people left those bubbles blank on their ballots. Basically, they let a tiny minority decide the future of the Cape’s workforce housing.
Actionable Steps for Cape Cod Voters Right Now
Stop waiting for November to pay attention. If you want to influence the results that actually change your life, here is what you need to do this week:
- Check your registration: If you moved over the winter (common for seasonal workers who transitioned to year-round), you need to update your address with the Town Clerk.
- Pull nomination papers: If you're tired of the same three people making decisions for your town, go to the Town Hall. For towns like Duxbury or Harwich, the window to get on the 2026 ballot is open or opening very soon.
- Attend the Finance Committee meetings: Most towns, like Barnstable County’s Assembly of Delegates, have standing committee meetings in January. This is where the money from the 2025 elections is actually being allocated.
- Watch the Special Elections: Even if it's not in your district, the Special State Primary on February 3, 2026, for the 1st Middlesex will set the tone for the legislative session in Boston.
The 2026 cycle is already moving. Whether it's the Brewster Town Election on the horizon or the fallout from the state senate shifts, the Cape Cod election results are more than just numbers on a PDF—they're the reason your property taxes are what they are. Stay involved, or someone else will make the choice for you.
To stay ahead of the next wave of results, visit your specific Town Clerk’s website to view the 2026 candidate list as it populates this February. For regional updates, the Barnstable County Meeting Center provides live streams of the Assembly of Delegates, where the legislative impact of your votes is debated in real-time.