Winchester Voter's Guide: Sept. 8 State Primary Election

WINCHESTER, MA — Winchester residents will hit the polls Thursday, Sept. 8 for the State Primary Election. Here is some important information you need to know about the proceedings.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee Ballots can be requested up until Wednesday, Sept. 7 at noon. Absentee ballots must be returned by Thursday, Sept. 8 by 8 p.m. The last day to register to vote for state primaries was Aug. 19. Click here to check your registration status.

Polling Locations

Click here to find out your polling location.

Sample Ballots

Click here and fill in your information to view a sample ballot.

Which ticket do I vote on?

You must vote on the party's ballot of which you are registered to vote for. Un-enrolled voters can choose a party's ballot. Click here to see the ballot you can vote on, the candidates you can choose between and where to vote.

What are the state primaries?

During state primaries, voters choose nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives, the state Senate and House, the Governor’s Council and county sheriff.

Those races are then decided in the general election. That election is held Tuesday, Nov. 8. The deadline to register for the general election is Wednesday, Oct. 19.

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• RELATED: The Ballot Questions for Massachusetts in November

Why does it matter in Massachusetts?

Democrats hold a vast majority of the seats in the Massachusetts Legislature. Of the 160 seats in the House of Representatives, 125 are filled by Democrats, 34 by Republicans and one is vacant. Nine of the 160 incumbents are not running for re-election, according to ballotpedia.org.

But it's not just about the party — because Democrats hold such a strong majority and often face little general election challenge, the primaries are often where the winning candidate is effectively decided.

>>Alison Bauter, Patch Staff contributed to this report.