Bay State News

Boston, MA—According to Secretary of State William Galvin, by the time polls opened at 7 a.m. this morning, nearly half a million voters (9.8% of all registered voters) had returned ballots by mail or in person. Overall turnout appears to be historically high compared to recent primary elections.

Vote-by-mail and in-person early voting options, recent additions to voting practices in Massachusetts, continue to benefit voters and democracy by strengthening access to the ballot and making voting more accessible for Bay Staters. In response to the positive news about early voter turnout, the Election Modernization Coalition released the following statement:

"At a time when many Americans are concerned about the future of democracy, our Election Modernization Coalition is gratified to see the reforms we’ve fought for are bringing down barriers to participation and voting, and increasing the number of voters who cast their ballot.

Just a handful of years ago, neither universal mail voting nor early in-person voting existed in the Commonwealth. Whatever the final tally of voters in this primary day contest, it’s clear that these new voting options have been embraced by voters and give them more efficient and convenient ways to participate."

The Election Modernization Coalition consists of ACLU of Massachusetts, Common Cause Massachusetts, Disability Law Center, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, Lawyers for Civil Rights, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MassVOTE, Massachusetts Voter Table, MASSPIRG, and Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.