Editor's note: This article will update as preliminary results come in. The symbol * indicates the candidates that will be eliminated from their respective races as of the release of this article. Italics signifies the incumbent candidates.
10:42 p.m
Council President Zac Bears said he felt Our Revolution candidates had performed strongly and looked forward to getting more voters to the polls for the November election.
“I think the choice for voters is really clear. Do we want to elect a council with progressive values that wants to move our city forward and keep building on the good work we’ve been doing the last six years, or do we want to elect folks who aren’t aligned with that vision of our city?” Bears said.
Patrick Clerkin, a candidate aligned with the “independent” group, said he joined with other candidates to push back against Our Revolution policies.
“I joined in with [six] other independent candidates. … What unites us is our focus on Medford first and foremost,” Clerkin said. “I think one of the things that this election demonstrated, first and foremost, was the effectiveness of teaming up.”
Paul Donato Jr. another “independent” candidate said that he was proud of his work done so far.
“I'm very proud. Hard work pays off. I'm looking forward to the next seven weeks," Donato Jr. said. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, and let the cards fall where they fall.”
10:08 p.m
Three City Council candidates — Milva McDonald, Trish Schiapelli and Page Buldini — were eliminated following Tuesday’s preliminary election votes. Unofficial results tally early voting and election day voting, with only hand-counted votes and votes received after 7:30 p.m. yet to be tabulated.
The general election will consist of two groups of candidates: those endorsed by the progressive organization Our Revolution and those aligned with an “independent” slate of candidates. The three eliminated candidates had distanced themselves from affiliation with any group.
The top three candidates were part of the “independent” group: Incumbent Councilor George Scarpelli led with 4,010 votes, followed by former Council President Rick Caraviello and Melanie Tringali.
Councilor Justin Tseng performed best among the Our Revolution candidates, followed by incumbents Anna Callahan and Emily Lazzaro.
These are the final unofficial counts as of 9:50 p.m (including early votes, excluding votes after 7:30 p.m.)
MEDFORD CITY COUNCILOR PRELIMINARY
| Candidate | Votes |
| George Scarpelli | 4010 |
| Rick Caraviello | 3698 |
| Melanie Tringali | 3578 |
| Justin Tseng | 3550 |
| Anna Callahan | 3538 |
| Emily Lazzaro | 3455 |
| Matt Leming | 3445 |
| Paul Donato Jr. | 3437 |
| Isaac "Zac" Bears | 3429 |
| Liz Mullane | 2988 |
| Nicholas Giurleo | 2979 |
| Miranda Briseno | 2963 |
| Patrick Clerkin | 2330 |
| Nate Merritt | 2206 |
| Page Buldini* | 2108 |
| Trish Schiapelli* | 2013 |
| Milva McDonald* | 1507 |
8 p.m.
Polls have closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday as Medford voters will narrow down a large field of at-large City Council candidates from 17–14 tonight as the city decides on the body’s composition for the next two years.
While Medford elections are nonpartisan, ideological divides have emerged in the race. The progressive organization Our Revolution Medford has endorsed seven candidates, five of whom are current councilors.
The city’s zoning overhaul has emerged as a contentious issue in the election, with supporters — including all councilors except for Scarpelli — emphasizing the need to expand housing opportunities. Critics, including many of the “independent” candidates, warn that the changes could damage neighborhood character.
Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn is running unopposed, and the threshold of candidates for a preliminary election for the School Committee was not met.
