January 10, 2018/Boston, MA–Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin has announced that the date for the 2018 Massachusetts primary election will be Tuesday, September 4, the day after Labor Day. The Secretary’s announcement included that he is filing legislation for a period of five days of early voting ahead of the election, and seeking funding for local elections officials to support the costs of early voting.
While the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) is pleased that Secretary Galvin has embraced our recommendation to extend early voting to the primary and that he recognizes the benefits of early voting for voters, we are disappointed in the timing of the primary, which is earlier than the dates LWVMA recommended. Voting on the day after Labor Day will prove challenging for voters in the Commonwealth, especially for families preparing children for the start of school, and for candidates who are eager to get their message out to voters.
We hope that the legislature will support Secretary Galvin’s legislation for early voting in this and future state primary elections and that he will be successful in identifying funding to support early voting. We also hope that he and his office will be prepared to roll out a robust public relations campaign to make voters aware of the date of the primary, and options for early and absentee voting.