“The real story here is the lack of candidates”, Galvin said. In Hampden County, for example, there are Democratic primaries for sheriff, governor’s council and an open state House seat. There are also contested legislative races in Berkshire and Hampshire counties. And in western Mass., Democrats are competing in several legislative races.
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“Turnout will vary largely depending upon where there are local contests”, Galvin said during a pre-primary press conference.
Elections typically take place on a Tuesday, but this year they’re being held on a Thursday, which some voters may find confusing.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.to 8 p.m. Absentee Ballots can be requested up until Wednesday, Sept. 7 at noon. The last day to register to vote for state primaries was August 19.
Though this is the first year the state will implement early voting, the new process will only be in effect for the November general election starting on October 24.
There has been some outside spending on legislative races by groups supporting and opposing charter school expansion.
The high number of unenrolled voters in MA – 53.6 percent of the electorate – also means many could choose to sit out the party primaries, Galvin said.
Galvin said he anticipates any increase in voter registration is due to the November presidential election, not to the primary.
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Secretary of State William Galvin estimates that only 8 percent to 10 percent of registered voters statewide will actually cast ballots.
