Voters during the Massachusetts presidential primary in March. (Getty)
Voters in Massachusetts will head to the polls to select a new president. The Bay State also has nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives up for grabs. U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren are not up for re-election this year.
Here’s what you need to know as you head to the polls:
POLLING HOURS & LOCATIONS: The polls open in Massachusetts at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you are in line before 8 p.m., you are still allowed to vote. To find out where to vote, click here to go to the Massachusetts Secretary of State website and enter your address.
REGISTRATION GUIDELINES: Massachusetts does not have same-day voting registration. The deadline to register to vote passed on October 19. To check if you are already registered to vote, click here to go to the Massachusetts Secretary of State website and enter your address.
TRACKING RESULTS: There are several ways to track results in Massachusetts. Official results will be posted at the Secretary of State’s website. Media outlets to follow for the latest updates include WBZ, the Boston Globe, WHDH, WCVB and NECN.
WHAT’S AT STAKE IN FEDERAL RACES: Massachusetts lost an electoral vote after the 2010 census, so the commonwealth has 11 electoral votes in 2016. Since 1928, Massachusetts has only voted Republican four times. The last time was in 1984, when Ronald Reagan was re-elected. Barack Obama easily beat former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2012, 61-38 percent.
Elizabeth Warren is not up for re-election until 2018 and Ed Markey won’t be up for re-election until 2020, so there are no U.S. senate races in Massachusetts this year. The state has nine House seats up for re-election, but five of the incumbents are running without a Republican opponent.
- 1st District: Richard Neal (D, Incumbent) vs. Thomas Simmons (Libertarian)
- 2nd District: Jim McGovern (D, Incumbent)
- 3rd District: Niki Tsongas (D, Incumbent) vs. Ann Wofford (R)
- 4th District: Joseph P. Kennedy III (D, Incumbent) vs. Dave Rosa (R)
- 5th District: Katherine Clark (D, Incumbent)
- 6th District: Seth Moulton (D, Incumbent)
- 7th District: Mike Capuano (D, Incumbent)
- 8th District: Stephen F. Lynch (D, Incumbent) vs. William Burke (R)
- 9th District: Bill Keating (D, Incumbent) vs. Mark Alliegro (R)
WHAT’S AT STAKE IN STATE RACES: Governor Charles D. Baker’s term doesn’t end until 2019, so he is not up for re-election this year. The 160 members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives are up for re-election, as their terms are two years. Democrats won an overwhelming, 92-seat majority after the 2014 election.
Massachusetts State Senators are also only elected to two-year terms. There are 40 seats in the Senate and only 6 Republicans were elected in 2014. The remaining seats are held by Democrats.
Click here to see a complete list of candidates for every office up for election this year in Massachsuetts.