Super Tuesday In Massachusetts: Turnout Trending Up From 2016

BOSTON — Voting is underway in Massachusetts and 13 other states as Democratic presidential candidates face the major test of Super Tuesday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren hopes to parry a challenge from front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders and a newly resurgent Joe Biden in the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary.

See Live Massachusetts Super Tuesday Results: Primary Election Polls Closed At 8 P.M.

Sanders is looking to deal a critical blow to Warren in her home state, while Biden's campaign seeks to capitalize on his weekend win in South Carolina. Recent polling has shown Warren and Sanders at a near-deadlock in Massachusetts.

Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office said it couldn't be certain, but "believe[s] turnout is slightly up from 2016."

"The only numbers we have are those gathered by some of the cities and towns that have their poll workers call in at certain times throughout the day," Galvin's office said.

Through noon, Boston voter turnout was 15.3 percent, according to the Boston Elections Department.

One of those voted was Warren herself, who cast a ballot in Cambridge Tuesday morning before traveling to Michigan for an event in Detroit. The Michigan primary is next week.

"[This election] is a moment to build the America of our best values," she told supporters.

Polls remain open through 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters who are in line when polls are closed at 8 p.m. must be allowed to vote.

Galvin spoke Monday about how the new coronavirus might impact polling. Some polling stations have stocked up on hand sanitizer.

Galvin encouraged local election officials to regularly clean voting booths and provide replacement pens, but also noted residents could bring their own pens.

“The only caveat on that is please do not bring a red pen because the machines will not read red," Galvin said, according to Commonwealth Magazine. "It would have to be hand-read."

Galvin predicted turnout in the Democratic primary could reach 1.5 million, beating the previous record of 1.2 million set in 2008. But overall turnout is likely to be down slightly from the 2016 primary, Galvin predicted Monday. The Republican primary, where President Donald Trump faces no serious challengers, is likely see a decline in turnout.

You can find your polling location online. Make sure you're registered to vote before you make your way to the polls. The Massachusetts Secretary of State's website can help you find your voter registration status.

Warren has yet to score a first- or second-place finish in any of the first four presidential voting contests and needs a strong showing in her home state Tuesday to have any path toward the nomination. Since Biden scored a commanding victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday, three opponents dropped out of the race: billionaire Tom Steyer, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

The Republican, Libertarian and Green-Rainbow parties are also holding presidential primaries Tuesday in Massachusetts. Voters in the Democratic and Republican primaries will choose state, town and ward committee members, and there are five special elections for state legislative seats alongside other local votes.

Anyone with questions can contact the Elections Division at 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) for more information.

In addition to the primary in Massachusetts and a caucus in American Samoa, primaries are being held Tuesday in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Voting in the Democrats Abroad primary begins Tuesday, too.

At stake are 1,357, or 33.8 percent, of the 3,979 total delegates to the Democratic convention in Milwaukee in July. Massachusetts accounts for 91 delegates.

Patch will post live election results as soon as they are available Tuesday night. Subscribe to your local Patch for free and be the first to get the results.

The state of the Democratic presidential race

Going into Super Tuesday, Sanders leads the pack with 60 pledged delegates. Biden has 54 and Warren has eight. Tuesday's contest in her home state is a crucial test for the Massachusetts senator, but recent polls have shown her slightly trailing Sanders among likely Democratic voters.

Buttigieg and Klobuchar have 26 and seven pledged delegates, respectively, but both dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden in the days following the South Carolina primary. Both remain on the ballot, as does billionaire Tom Steyer, and early votes for them cannot be reversed.

Super Tuesday is also the first day billionaire Michael Bloomberg is on the ballot. Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is the fifth and final candidate still in the race.

On the Republican side, Trump faces former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.

New coronavirus concerns

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Galvin encouraged local election officials to regularly clean voting booths and provide replacement pens, but also noted residents could bring their own pens, as long as they aren't red.

The Mansfield Town Clerk told residents that the town had hand sanitizer available at every polling station.

The CDC has prepared a coronavirus act sheet with basic information on the virus.

The risk to Massachusetts residents remains low, according to public health officials, while influenza season is in full swing. According to the CDC, the same methods can be used to prevent both diseases: avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Massachusetts voters have their say at the primary polls

In Brighton, voters speaking to Patch editor Jenna Fisher were split between Warren and Sanders.

Daniel Riehs, 36, of Brighton, said social pressure brought him out to vote.

"I voted for Elizabeth Warren because I'm excited about her," Riehs said. "I was tired of everyone on Twitter telling me that a vote for her was actually a vote for someone else and so I just voted for the person I liked."

Ida Winich, 25, of Brighton, voted for Sanders.

"He's the only one willing to make radical change," Winich said. "We spent too long under status quo ... And I would be proud to vote for a Jewish man."

Patrick Likely, 29, of Brighton, also voted for the Vermont senator, though he worked on Warren's Senate campaign in 2012.

"Originally I was enthusiastic about Elizabeth Warren but I lost faith in her," Likely said. "When it came down to it Bernie Sanders was the only one holding the progressive mantle."

Trump is expected to win handily in the state, but one Reading voter, Michelle Faulkner, told Patch's Alex Newman that she had voted against the president in the Republican primary.

"I will vote Democratic in the general for the first time in my life," Faulkner said.

Fisher reported in Newton that voters also have a local ballot measure to worry about, but that doesn't mean they aren't making their voices heard in the primary.

Margaret Monbouquette, 78, of Newton, came out to vote on both.

"I voted for Bloomberg. I'm an independent," Monbouquette said. "We have to get this country back on track and I think he can do it. I think he's the only one who can do it."

Lauren Wise, 45, of Newton, said she is originally from Canada so it's important for her to vote when she can.

"I love Elizabeth Warren and I just wanted to make sure I could vote for her," Wise said. "Even if she doesn't make it all the way, I think it's important that her home state support her."

An Ashland couple, Brad Elgart and Janet Carlson, told Patch's Neal McNamara that while they both voted for Warren, they were split on their second choice. Carlson would vote for Bloomberg in the general, while Elgart's alternate is Sanders. The pair agreed Warren likely won't get the nomination, but said they wanted to support their home senator.

"She would've made a great president," Elgart said. "It's time for misogyny to die out in America."

"I feel like Bloomberg has a chance in a national election," Carlson said, who wants the billionaire to stay in the race as an independent, no matter what happens..

Also in Ashland, Jonah Riddell, a scientist, didn't want to say who he voted for. His priority was voting for a candidate who's younger, tech savvy and interested in supporting science. He's also gay and that influenced his vote, he said.

"It's exciting to come in and place your vote," he said. "It's been a rough couple of years."

"I would love to see it broaden in diversity," Riddell said of the race.

Massachusetts primary coverage

• Super Tuesday In MA: What's At Stake In Democratic Primary
• Arlington's Biggest Political Insider Is 11 Years Old
• Elizabeth Warren Votes In Cambridge, Heads To Michigan
• 94-Year-Old Needham Woman Says Voting Is A Special Occasion
• Massachusetts Super Tuesday Results: Primary Election Polls Close