 Thousands of registered voters in Boston headed to the polls yesterday as part of the preliminary mayoral elections. But this year's election day was different than past, with both a lower voter turnout and a large candidacy pool. It was very difficult to focus on certain individuals because the information about them was so spread out. With 12 candidates hoping to become Boston's newest mayor, yesterday's historic election will determine which tube will go head-to-head in November, ending Mayor Menino's 20 years in office. I heard someone liking it to the fact of speed-dating, that, you know, to have 12 mayoral candidates like speed-dating trying to figure out, well, who is it that I want. Even though it was a little bit confusing because there were so many names, it was actually better in a sense that everyone was more aware that it was going on. Boston Board of Elections Department tweeted that as of 6 p.m. yesterday, less than 25 percent of registered voters casted their ballot. Outside City Hall just a couple of hours before the polls closed, it was a pretty empty scene, but voters are wondering why that is. Is it because of the large candidacy pool or because it's only the preliminary elections? I think once it's down to two candidates running for mayor that it will sort of shop in people's focus, so I think we may see a much larger turnout in November. November 5th will be the day for Bostonians to make a final decision on who will follow Menino's legacy. In Boston for BUTV10, I'm Maria Martinolic.