Election on Sept 16

Tomorrow, September 16th, is Primary Day in Massachusetts.

To find out more information about who is on your ballot and where to vote, visit the MA Election Divisions webpage.

Massachusetts is not a state that allows you to register to vote on election day itself, so the deadline for registering for the primary was August 27th. If you are not registered, you are unfortunately out of luck. If you have moved since you last registered, you should still be able to vote at your old voting location.

And this also serves as an important reminder for those who are not registered to vote or have not updated their address with their local City Hall, that to vote in the general election in MA on November 4th, you must register by October 15th. The stakes are clearly high in this election - especially for President of the United States. And though you may feel your vote is not meaningful in the state of MA due to the Electoral College system that Presidential elections use, there is still tremendous value in voting. First, the President-elect might claim to have a 'mandate' if they win the popular vote (a la George W. Bush in 2004) even if that win is by the slimmest of margins. Casting your vote will help to support or diminish his/her ability to claim this. Second, there are always statewide and local races and ballot initiatives that impact issues like education, public transportation, Congressional (re)districting, and taxes. And lastly, having a large, well-informed electorate helps ensure that candidates will have to reach out to a broader audience rather than just focusing on the turnout of their 'base', which I think is a good thing.

I'm sure there's more reasons to vote ... feel free to add them through Comments.