Duxbury residents at the polls last Tuesday, Nov. 6, voted to roll back the Community Preservation Act and to elect a Democrat as state representative for the Sixth Plymouth District.

Of Duxbury’s 11,089 registered voters, 9,696 cast ballots. That is an 87 percent turnout.

A mechanical failure of the ballot box for Precinct 6 delayed the posting of election results until Friday, after a manual count, according to Town Clerk Nancy Oates.

Question 4, to exempt the first $100,000 of assessed property value from the CPA surcharge, was approved by 6,263 to 2,627 votes.

Residents also approved Question 5, to reduce the CPA surcharge on property tax bills from 3 percent to 1 percent, by 5,420 to 3,606 votes.

Bill Campbell, who is seeking to revive the Duxbury Taxpayers’ Association, said he was pleased with the outcome.

He said residents are being burdened with a lot of taxes, which less affluent homeowners cannot afford.

“There are people in town who need representation. For one reason or another, they’re not being represented,” he said. “They need to be heard.”

Pat Loring, of the Community Preservation and Open Space committees, said the message with the votes was very clear.

“We assume it’s a reaction to our local tax climate, with all of the important capital projects that we’re doing, and that the Community Preservation Act was one too many for our local taxpayers,” she said.

“Question 4, the exemption, was put on the Town Meeting warrant and on the ballot by the Community Preservation Committee in the first place,” she said.

Loring said it is too early to tell how the votes will affect the community preservation program.

“Our open space program is really gutted at this point,” she said.

Tom Chapman said Question 4 will offer homeowners $42 in tax relief.

“It’s an insult,” he said.

Chapman filed the citizen petition article at Town Meeting that appeared as Question 5 on the ballot.

He said the rate reduction will offset the increase in taxes that homeowners are paying for the fire station renovation, new police station and crematory.

“They (the Community Preservation Committee) had a free ride,” he said. “It needs to be more community-oriented.”

Holly Morris, of the Community Preservation Committee and Conservation Commission, said Question 5 saddened her.

Morris said revenue collected from the surcharge will decline from $1.3 million to $427,000 with the rate reduction.

The vote will shut the door on the Community Preservation Committee’s efforts to acquire land in order to protect the town’s groundwater supply and control residential and commercial development.

“Unfortunately, it’s a bit near-sighted. People are not looking long-range,” she said.

Morris said Duxbury has raised $11.8 million from the surcharge, and received $12.8 million in matching funds, grants and donations.

“It’s been a tremendous return,” she said.

In the race for the Sixth Plymouth District, which includes Hanson, Pembroke and precincts 2 through 6 in Duxbury, Democrat Josh Cutler of Duxbury defeated Republican Karen Barry of Duxbury by 12,423 to 10,135 votes.

Cutler will succeed state Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Hanson, who is stepping down after five terms.

Cutler won Hanson and Pembroke and defeated Barry in Duxbury by 3,991 to 3,673 votes.

“The voters delivered a mandate and I’m honored by their support,” Cutler said.  “Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” he said. “I’ve spoken to my future colleagues in the area, both Democrat and Republican, and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running in January.”

Barry did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Voters in the Twelfth Plymouth District, which includes Precinct 1 in Duxbury, re-elected state Rep. Tom Calter, D-Kingston, to a fourth term.

The district also includes all of Kingston, Halifax and Plympton and parts of Middleboro and Plymouth.

Calter won in every precinct, defeating Republican challenger Debra Betz of Plymouth by 13,367 to 8,001 votes.

Calter, who won in Duxbury by 844 to 704 votes, said he was honored to be re-elected.

“I believe the results are a fair indication that the citizens of the Twelfth District value civility and substance over bad behavior,” he said. “The citizens overwhelmingly saw through the cynical tactics used by my opponent, and I trusted they would.”

Betz did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.