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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said Massachusetts received 20,000 Libertarian ballot requests ahead of this year's presidential primary, an almost five-fold increase since 2020.
Galvin said the spike reflects confusion among the state's large population of independent voters, not an increase in Libertarian party members in Massachusetts.
"Based on our experience, the reason is independents were confused as to what the Libertarian party was," Galvin told WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers.
Read More: Who Will Appear On Massachusetts Presidential Primary Ballots
2024 is the first year that all Massachusetts voters received Vote by Mail applications.
Unaffiliated Massachusetts voters who ordered the Libertarian ballot by mistake can choose a different ballot in person at the polls, Galvin said.
In-person early voting kicks off Saturday and ends March 1.
Election day is March 5.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@madisonwbz) reports.
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