Under the system, if the no. 1 choice marked on a ballot has already received enough votes to ensure a seat on the council the ballot serves for the no. 2 choice, and so on.

The system is complicated and antiquated and the vote-counting process is drawn out over more than a week, but Cambridge politicos relish it.

"The Count" is where it's at for city pundits, activists and political observers. According to Geer, the lengthy and colorful ballot-counting process attracts "the highest concentration of people who want to talk politics you'll find anywhere."

This year, the Election Commission set up camp in the gym of the Longfellow School, the school's PTA set up a bake sale outside, and hundreds of interested townies milled about, taking notes and sharing predictions.

On Friday, the Election Commissioners began officially electing candidates to the council. Wolf and Sullivan, whose spots were guaranteed on the strength of their no. 1 votes alone, were elected to cheers from family and friends Friday evening. CCA Councillor Francis H. Duehay '55 received enough of Wolf's surplus votes to reach the quota that night.

Four more candidates were elected over the course of Saturday, with Independent William H. Walsh going over the top at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Cyr's victory was officially declared on Monday afternoon, clinching the CCA majority and demonstrating that, at least for Cantabrigians, the status quo wasn't all that bad.

'We've finally broken the back of the old Irish Democrats in Cambridge.'