The Cambridge Election Commission defines active voters as registered voters who it can confirm still live in the city.

When inactive voters, whose names must by law be kept on the books even though their continued residence cannot be verified, are included in the tally, the participation rate drops to 63 percent.

According to Neighbor, the commission just learned last year that it was required to include inactive voters in its calculations, so this year's rate cannot be compared against those of previous elections.

In another unsurprising result, incumbent Senator Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 garnered 85 percent of the vote. Libertarian Party candidate Carla A. Howell narrowly outpolled Republican dark-horse Jack E. Robinson III, 6.94 percent to 6.76 percent.

Several incumbents easily coasted to reelection including Rep. Michael E. Campuano (D-Cambridge), Mass. State Rep. Jarrett T. Barrios '90 (D-Cambridge) and Mass. State Rep. Alice K. Wolf (D-Cambridge).

On the eight ballot initiatives, Cambridge voters bucked the state trend by voting against Question 4, which will cut state income taxes by .95 percent. While he initiative was approved state-wide, 62.46 percent of Cambridge voters opposed it.

Cambridge also supported Question 5, which would have pushed the state to adopt a universal health care system, in contrast with the final state tallies. 61.20 percent of the Cambridge electorate voted for the initiative.