Fall River Mayoral Candidates’ Voting Histories: One Never Cast a Ballot, Another Just Started Again

FALL RIVER ─ It’s not unusual for political candidates to implore the voting public to get out and vote.

But a review of the voting records of Fall River’s five mayoral candidates shows that one candidate has never cast a ballot, and another mayoral contender just started voting in 2023, according to records from the Board of Elections.

Incumbent Mayor Paul Coogan, and challengers Gabriel “Boomer” Amaral, Michael Vandal, Carlos Cesar, and Christopher Silvia are about to square off in the city preliminary next month, with a debate set for September 4th.

Silvia, 58, said he doesn’t dispute that election records indicate he’s never voted in an election.

“I have not voted, I don’t wish to dispute it,” said Silvia, a local restaurateur. “I was never much into it. I was never into voting, I didn’t think it really mattered. But after being involved in it, I saw that it did matter.”

Silvia is registered as unenrolled as his party enrollment.

Voting records show that candidate Carlos Cesar has participated as a voter in a local election in November 2023, a presidential primary and state primary as a Democrat in 2024, and another state election that same year.

Cesar, 59, and now a registered Republican, also acknowledged that he did vote in elections for some time.

“I definitely voted before, but like a lot of people, I gave up,” said Cesar. “I had a couple of elections that I had given up, and I didn’t like who was running. If I weren’t running this time, I probably wouldn’t have voted again.

Amaral, 45, a registered Republican, has been a steady voter since 2014, both in Fall River and Somerset.

As have Vandal, 67, a registered Democrat, whose voting history goes back to 1999 in Fall River, and incumbent Coogan, 72, a registered Democrat, whose voting record dates back to 1998.

The Fall River preliminary election for the office of mayor is scheduled for Sept. 16. Polling precincts will be open from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. on that day.

The local general election will be held on Nov. 4 and there is no preliminary for candidates running for School Committee and City Council.