Framingham Primary Primer: What To Know About The Sept. 6 Election

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Many Framingham voters will go to the polls — but not all, more on that later — Sept. 6 to cast a ballot in a major Democratic contest for an open state House seat, plus big statewide contests.

The 2022 primary will be the first in Massachusetts to feature the state's brand-new, pandemic-tested voting system. In the primary, voters will have multiple options: either mailing in ballots, voting early or going to the polls as usual on Election Day.

With new voting rules in place and a ton of candidates on the ballot, Patch has put together a 2022 Framingham primary voting guide to get you primed and ready to vote. Here's everything you need to know:

Important Dates

• Early voting period for primary: Aug. 27 to Sept. 2
• Delivery of a mail-in ballot: Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.
• Voting on Election Day, Sept. 6: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Check if you're registered to vote here

Voting by mail

Massachusetts briefly joined a handful of other U.S. states in allowing voting by mail during the pandemic. Then the Legislature let the practice expire. Then they brought it back in June after passing a big, new voting rights bill.

If you're a registered voter, you should've already received a vote-by-mail application from your local clerk. If not, you can apply online for a mail-in ballot.

The state has improved the vote by mail materials since the pandemic, but the process is largely the same: once you get your ballot, you fill it out at home with a black pen and then return it to be counted. The best way to return a mail-in ballot is by putting in your local ballot drop box or hand-delivering it to your city or town clerk. You CANNOT drop it off at a polling place on Sept. 6.

Polling places

If you're voting in person on Sept. 6, it's possible you'll have a new polling location.

Due to the 2020 Census, most city and town clerks in Massachusetts redrew voting districts to compensate for population shifts. Most likely you'll be voting in the same old place (or by mail), but you can check to make sure here.

Early Voting

You can vote early in the 2022 primary for the first time since Massachusetts began early voting in 2016. Framingham's early voting site is at the Memorial Building, 150 Concord St. Here are the remaining days and times:

• Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Who's on the ballot?

Since it's a primary, your ballot will feature only candidates from the party you've chosen to vote for. Primary elections decide which candidate from the major political parties advance to compete in the November general election. Only the winners of the general election go on to hold office.

In 2022, Democrats have a much bigger field than Republicans with seven competitive races — six if you subtract Sonia Chang-Diaz, who dropped out of the gubernatorial primary in June.

Here are the competitive statewide races for the Democratic and GOP candidates:

FRAMINGHAM

With the exit of Maria Robinson to work in the Department of Energy, there's a state House seat up for grabs in Framingham. Three local Democrats are vying for the seat: activist Dhruba Sen, former councilor Margareth Shepard and School Committee Chair Priscila Sousa.

The primary will pick the candidate who will most likely carry the safely Democratic seat in the November election — although Framingham resident David Morrell is running for the seat as a Republican.

STATEWIDE DEMOCRATS

Attorney General

• Andrea Campbell
• Shannon Liss-Riordan
• Quentin Palfrey

Auditor

• Christopher Dempsey
• Diana DiZoglio

Governor

• Sonia Chang-Diaz (dropped out, but still on ballot)
• Maura Healey

Lieutenant Governor

• Kim Driscoll
• Tami Gouveia
• Eric Lesser

Secretary of State

• William Galvin
• Tanisha Sullivan

3rd District Governor's Council

• Marilyn DeVaney, Watertown
• Mara Dolan, Concord

8th District Governor's Council

• Shawn Allyn, Agawam
• Michael Fenton, Springfield
• Jeffrey Morneau, East Longmeadow

See more Democratic state House and Senate candidates here

STATEWIDE REPUBLICANS

Governor

• Geoff Diehl
• Chris Doughty

Lieutenant Governor

• Leah Allen
• Kate Campanale

8th Congressional District (held by Democrat Stephen Lynch)

• Robert Burke, Milton
• Hamilton Rodrigues, Canton

9th Congressional District (held by Democrat Bill Keating)

• Jesse Brown
• Dan Sullivan

See more Republican state House and Senate candidates here