Above, a sample ballot.
Boston voters head to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 1, for the Massachusetts state primary, with several contested races on the ballot, including US Senate, Suffolk County district attorney, Governor’s Council, Congress, and, in much of the neighborhood, the First Suffolk state Senate seat.
Polls across Boston will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Voters must cast ballots at their assigned Election Day polling locations. The primary will determine which Democratic and Republican candidates advance to the state election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Above, US Sen. Ed Markey at a rally in Dorchester at IBEW Freeport Hall on Sat., Aug. 29. Chris Lovett photo
At the top of the Democratic ballot is the closely watched US Senate contest between incumbent Edward Markey and US Rep. Seth Moulton. On the Republican ballot, John Deaton is running for the Senate nomination without opposition.
Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are unopposed for renomination on the Democratic side. Republicans will choose between Michael Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve for governor. Shawn Oliver is unopposed for the Republican lieutenant governor nomination.
One of the most significant contests for Boston voters is the Democratic primary for Suffolk County district attorney, where incumbent Kevin Hayden faces challengers Linda Champion and Rachael Rollins, the former Suffolk DA and former US Attorney for Massachusetts.
Sen. Collins, left, and Latoya Gayle, right.
Much of Dorchester is also part of the First Suffolk state Senate district, where incumbent Sen. Nick Collins faces Latoya Gayle and Juwan Skeens in the Democratic primary. The district includes South Boston, Chinatown, most of Dorchester, and portions of Roxbury and the South End.
The contest has featured disagreements over Boston property taxes, the response to conditions at Mass. and Cass, housing policy, and the future redesign of Morrissey Boulevard. Mayor Michelle Wu has backed Gayle in her challenge of Collins.
Other Dorchester neighborhoods and Mattapan fall within the Second Suffolk Senate district, where Sen. Liz Miranda is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Congressional contests will depend on where a voter lives. Most of Dorchester and Mattapan are represented by US Rep. Ayanna Pressley in the Seventh Congressional District; Pressley is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Parts of Dorchester, including sections of wards 13, 16, and 17 in Savin Hill, Neponset, and Lower Mills, are in the Eighth Congressional District, where incumbent Stephen Lynch faces Democratic challenger Patrick Roath. It’s considered Lynch’s most significant challenge since he won the seat in 2001.
Democrats will also choose between incumbent Christopher A. Iannella Jr. and Ronald Primo Iacobucci for the Fourth District seat on the Governor’s Council.
Most of the neighborhood’s Democratic state representatives have no primary opposition. David Biele in the Fourth Suffolk, Brandy Fluker Reid in the 12th Suffolk, Dan Hunt in the 13th Suffolk, and Rob Consalvo in the 14th Suffolk are all running unopposed. Suffolk County Register of Probate Stephanie L. Everett is also unopposed.
Voters who are registered Democrats or Republicans must vote in their party’s primary. Unenrolled voters — commonly called independents — may choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot at the polling place without changing their unenrolled status.
Boston election officials reported that 4,899 voters had cast ballots during in-person early voting through last Thursday.
Secretary of State William Galvin has urged voters who still have mail ballots in hand not to put them in the mail this close to Election Day. Instead, ballots should be deposited in an official drop box or delivered to the Boston Election Department. All primary ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Tuesday to count.
All Boston polling places are wheelchair accessible, and language assistance will be available. Boston will use electronic Poll Pads to check voters in, but voters will continue to receive and mark paper ballots before feeding them into a tabulator.
Voters can confirm their assigned polling location and view a sample ballot through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s voter information system. The city expects to begin posting unofficial election results after polls close Tuesday night, with precinct-level unofficial results expected by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Watch DotNews.com and our BlueSky Social account for select precinct results after 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
