BOSTON — Minority candidates in at least four Massachusetts communities are hoping to make history.

Municipal elections Tuesday in Boston, Lawrence, Springfield and Newton could produce a number of "firsts" as changes in local government and shifting demographics have given black and Latino candidates a chance to win local seats.

In Lawrence, for example, state Rep. William Lantigua could become the first Latino elected mayor in Massachusetts history. He’s in a tight race against a white city councilor, David Abdoo, in a city where 70 percent of residents are Latino.

Springfield voters are also poised to elect a number of minority candidates to city council under a new, voter-approved system that gives greater voice to minority neighborhoods.