Massachusetts residents will head to the poll on Sept. 6 to fulfill their civic duty by casting ballots for the state primaries. The voters will elect their governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor and Suffolk County district attorney. As the elections approach in less than a week, voters have begun to vote through both early voting and vote-by-email reforms. Through early voting, voters can vote at the nearest and the most convenient polling station. Mail-in-voting allows the voters to vote by mail before Election Day. The registration deadline to vote was Aug. 27 for in-person voting, and Aug. 29 for mail-in-voting. Massachusetts residents can also vote in-person on the day of the election at their nearest polling place.
Although Massachusetts is a blue state, the governor’s position has been filled by Republican candidate Charlie Baker for two consecutive terms. Governor Baker’s announcement of not returning for a third term has opened his position up for grabs. Attorney Gen. Maura Healey is running uncontested in the Democratic primary for governor of Massachusetts, and Sonia Chang Diaz officially withdrew from the gubernatorial race. Former Massachusetts State Rep. Geoff Deihl is running alongside entrepreneur Chris Daughty in the republican primary.
The attorney general position is another highly anticipated race in the state primary. The attorney general oversees prosecuting lawbreakers, counsels government agencies on legal matters and acts as the state’s senior law enforcement official. Andrea Campbell, a former Boston city councilor, will compete against Shannon Liss-Riordan, a labor lawyer. A.G. Maura Healey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley supported Campbell by endorsing her candidacy. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Michelle Wu have endorsed Liss-Riordan for attorney general. Jay McMahon, a Bourne lawyer, is on the ballot as a republican candidate in the attorney general’s race.
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, Acton State Rep. Tami Gouveia and Longmeadow State Sen. Eric Lesser are the three Democrats vying for the position of lieutenant governor of the state. Republican contenders for the role of second in command for the state are Kate Campanale and Leah Cole Allen.
Suffolk County district attorney’s position is up for grabs too. In essence, Suffolk County’s district attorney serves as the top law enforcement official for Massachusetts’ largest county— the one that includes Boston. The candidate filling this seat will be a successor of former Suffolk County D.A. Racheal Rollins, appointed as the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts by Pres. Joe Biden. Kevin Hayden and Ricardo Arroyo are contesting for the position. Hayden is an interim Suffolk County district attorney, and Arroyo is a former public defender and Boston City Councilor. “If you care about local criminal justice policy, this is the race to watch,” said Daniel Medwed, GBH News Legal Analyst.
Elections for the Suffolk County district attorney are on the radar as Cllr. Arroyo, one of the competing candidates, was questioned about the two possible sexual assault investigations he faced a decade ago. The Boston Globe reported this latest controversy. “So just to be clear, I never sexually assaulted anyone in my life,” said Ayyoro, defending himself at a press conference.
Fall primary elections are important as voters will elect their local leaders and the policies they represent, specifically those affecting public transportation, criminal justice, police reforms and local level governance. If you are eligible, Sept. 2 is the last day to vote early. Residents can also enter their address on the Secretary of Commonwealth’s website to learn the location of their neighborhood polling station and election offices, as well as the district they live in and the names of their current elected officials.