MA Primary Election Date Finally Set

BOSTON, MA — Massachusetts finally has a date for the State Primaries. Bay Staters will head to the polls on Sept. 4, Secretary of State William Galvin said. Galvin is proposing legislation to allow for five days of early voting.

Massachusetts was the last state without a primary election date. This year's usually quick-and-easy process was a bit more complicated due to the timing of Jewish religious holidays.

The target date for the primary was Sept. 18, but that's when Yom Kippur starts. One week earlier, Sept. 11, is during Rosh Hashanah.

State law requires Galvin to schedule the primary within seven days of the second Tuesday of September, which is Sept. 11.

Many states hold their primaries before September.

Josh Zakim, a Boston city councilor who is challenging Galvin for the Democratic nomination to be secretary of state, said the secretary should take advantage of the scheduling conflict and plan to hold the statewide election on a weekend day.

"It's an important opportunity to explore something new around a way to increase turnout and voter participation," Zakim said. "The weekend of September 15 or 16 would make a lot of sense, and it's something voting rights activists and civil right activists have long talked about to make it easier for people to vote."

Materials from State House News Service was used in this report

Photo by Alison Bauter for Patch