Waltham 2016 Election Results

WALTHAM, MA – Come on America, we can get through this. Voters march to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8, to help decide one of the most historical presidential elections in most of our lifetimes.

From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., voters hit voting booths across the country, electing not only our next commander-in-chief, but members of congress, state representatives and senators, councillors and county sheriffs in their communities.

The unofficial results are in, according to the Waltham News Tribune. The site reported Hillary Clinton won Waltham 17,000 to 7,500. In the 9th Middlesex District, Rep. Tom Stanley won his bid for re-election over Stacey Gallagher Tully.

Tuesday morning, John Baer and his wife submitted their ballots at Fitzgerald School. For the 63-year-old former innkeeper, this election was a case of you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

"It made me think fondly of presidents we've had in the past that I couldn't stand at the time," Baer told Patch. "I feel like I shouldn't have to be in a moment like this."

He said he believes the cure to the country's polarization can't be found in its candidates, but rather the history books.

"I've seen a lot of ugly red flags, which proceeded a lot of horrible events in history," Baer said.

Hugh Merisier, a student at Bentley University, was a first-time voter this year. The 21-year-old Haitian native said he was surprised at the tone of the election, calling it "more of a sport than an election."

But despite the vitriol from both sides, and the division among Americans, Merisier said things could always be worse. He cited his own experiences in his native country.

"In Haiti, the election is actually rigged and corrupt," Merisier said. "Here I finally felt like I had a choice."

Linda Harrison, 72, reluctantly voted for Hillary Clinton because she believes the alternative is "extremely harmful." The retired health care administrator was originally a Bernie Sanders supporter and maintained that her vote for Clinton was not a vote for the status quo.

But she acknowledged the role the next Commander-in-Chief will have in uniting a fractured nation.

"I do think Hillary is more capable of healing the country," Harrison said. "But the government needs to get back to being for the people. It needs to be listening to some of the themes of Trump and Bernie."

Got a neat photo or video clip from the polls? Send it to us! Email photos, videos, and tidbits to alex.newman@patch.com with your city in the subject line.

SEE ALSO: • Waltham General Election Voting Guide 2016

• Thinking of moving to Canada? Read this first.

Check back here to get updates throughout the day, and election results, including the number of voters, on Tuesday evening.

Photo Credit: Alison Bauter/Patch Staff