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BOSTON — It's a rainy primary Tuesday in Massachusetts, and polls to narrow the field of candidates down are now open.
Timing and Logistics, and Where to Vote
Polls are open in Massachusetts from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, but were allowed to open as early as 5:45 AM. State law requires polling places to let people vote if they're on line at 8:00 when polls close. The general election is on November 8.
There are five major statewide races: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and auditor.
Unlike a general election, there are separate Republican and Democratic party ballots. Unenrolled voters who aren't registered with a particular party can choose either ballot, but not both. Voters who are registered with either the Republican or Democratic party can only vote on their own party's ballot.
Voters can check where they're supposed to vote in person on the Secretary of State's website.
Massachusetts doesn't have same-day voter registration, so voters need to be registered to vote before showing up to the polls. Registration status can be checked here.
Controversy and some Voting Speedbumps
In Barnstable, the town clerk's office said they had been unable to access their paper ballots on Tuesday morning, as the vault that stores the ballots couldn't be opened. As of 8:30, the town was waiting to see how to proceed, and precincts were closed for voting. Barnstable is the largest town on Cape Cod by population, with 45,000 residents.
One local race in particular has been rocked by controversy in the weeks leading up to the primary: the Suffolk County District Attorney Democratic Primary. The race has been consumed by coverage of police sexual assault investigations against Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo stemming from his late teens. Arroyo has vocally denied the allegations. His campaign has framed the leak of the documents as a dirty tactic by current District Attorney Kevin Hayden to hurt Arroyo's reputation.
WBZ NewsRadio will be following the races as results come in later Tuesday evening.
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