The Massachusetts State Primaries will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, and there will be one race involving a Watertown candidate on the ballot.
Democrats will be choosing their candidate for Governor’s Councilor. The incumbent is Watertown’s Marilyn Petitto Devaney, and she is challenged by Mara Dolan of Concord. Republicans will be selecting their candidate for U.S. Senate. The candidates are Robert J. Antonellis, Ian Cain, and John Deaton.
The last day to register to vote or to change party enrollment for that primary is Saturday, Aug. 24.
On election day, Sept. 3, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early in-person voting will begin on Saturday, Aug. 24 and run through Friday Aug. 30. In Person Early Voting will be held at City Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown, in the Philip Pane Lower Hearing Room.
Watertown Early In-Person Voting Schedule
Saturday, August 24, 2024: 9 am – 1 pm
Sunday, August 25, 2024: 9 am – 1 pm
Monday, August 26, 2024: 8:30 am – 5 pm
Tuesday, August 27, 2024: 8:30 am – 7 pm
Wednesday, August 28, 2024: 8:30 am – 5 pm
Thursday, August 29, 2024: 8:30 am – 5 pm
Friday, August 30, 2024: 8:30 am – 2 pm
Thanks for posting this Charlie!
To be extra clear, this is the state primary. The presidential primary was held in the spring.
These are the ballots for the STATE primary in September (L, D, R):
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/ShowBallot/ViewMyBallot/BallotOut/L/314/0/9
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/ShowBallot/ViewMyBallot/BallotOut/D/314/0/9
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/ShowBallot/ViewMyBallot/BallotOut/R/314/0/9
The Secretary of State’s website provides a lot of info:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/elections-and-voting.htm
Also, here is the poll location info for Watertown: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/424/Election-Day-Voting-Locations
In November, the winner of these state primary races will appear on the ballot along with the presidential candidates. Plus, there will 5 ballot questions.
The questions on the November ballot will appear as follows:
Question 1: State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature
– A “yes” vote supports explicitly authorizing the state auditor to audit the accounts, programs, activities, and functions of all departments, offices, commissions, institutions, and activities of the state legislature and any authorities or districts created by the state legislature.
Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement
A “yes” vote supports repealing the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school.
Question 3: Unionization for Transportation Network Drivers (Uber and Lyft)
A “yes” vote supports
Question 4: Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances (aka plant based such as psilocybin )
A “yes” vote supports
Question 5: Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers.
A “yes” vote supports gradually increasing the wage of tipped employees until it meets the state minimum wage in 2029 and continues to permit tipping in addition to the minimum wage.