BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Commonwealth is on pace for an historic turnout in the 2020 election, with much of which is due to an uptick in early voter participation.
More than 2.5 million voters cast early ballots in Massachusetts this year, either by mail or in person. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said a majority of those early votes came from the suburbs, meaning more people living in urban areas waited until Election Day to vote.
"The evidence from around the state is turnouts are very strong," Galvin said. "Many places had people waiting this morning when the polls opened ... which is very encouraging."
A total of 26 states have expanded vote-by-mail programs, which they adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The counting process for mail-in ballots will continue for three days in Massachusetts. Galvin said he expects it to be a record-breaking election.
"I projected yesterday a 3.6 million voter turnout throughout the whole state which would be a new record," Galvin said. "I believe that might be conservative, I think we could go higher than that."
WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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