WESTERN MASS. – With the Sept. 6 state primary election almost upon us, local communities have begun releasing information on how, when and where residents can cast their ballots.

Thanks to a law commonly referred to as the VOTES Act, Massachusetts voters will have more options when it comes to voting. The bill, which was signed by Gov. Charlie Baker on June 22, made permanent expanded voting opportunities initially put in place as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, including no-excuse mail-in voring and early voting.

Both the state House and Senate resoundingly supported the reforms, voting in favor with tallies of 126-29 and 37-3, respectively. The VOTES Act has faced opposition from from MassGOP Chairman James Lyons and other Republicans who assert the reforms are unconstitutional, but thus far, the law has survived a legal challenge and was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on July 11. Lyons announced in a press release that he would press the case with the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes its justices would “provide relief to prevent a constitutional travesty presented by this law.”
In the meantime, in addition to Election Day polling hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., local town clerks have prepared to accommodate these alternative voting avenues.

The new law allows Massachusetts residents to register to vote up to 10 days before an election as opposed to the previous limit of 20 days. As a result, this year’s deadline to register for the primary is Aug. 27. Applications for mail-in voting must be received at lease five business days before the election, in this case Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. Those who are registered as unenrolled voters must indicate the specific party’s ballot requested in their application.

Election information

Granby

The polling location for the town of Granby will be at the Granby Junior-Senior High School. In-person voter registration will take place on Aug. 27 at the Carnegie Building – also known as the “Old Public Library” – from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and at the Town Clerk’s office at 215 B W. State St. from 1 to 5 p.m.. You may also register anytime during regular office hours in the Town Clerk’s office. You can also pick up mail-in voter registration forms at the Granby Post Office, or the Public Library.

If you did not mail back your 2022 Annual Town Census or voted in the past year you may be listed as an inactive voter and Kelly-Regan encourages those with any doubts about their voter registration to call the Town Clerk’s Office at 467-7178.

Holyoke

In-person early voting begins in Holyoke on Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. City Clerk Brenna McGee said her office in City Hall is open again Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last day the City Clerk’s Office is accepting applications for mail-in ballots is Aug. 29 at 5 p.m.

You can download a vote by mail application or an absentee ballot application in both English and Spanish via the Voter Informaton tab on the City Clerk page of the city’s website. The page also features the 2022 election calendar.

South Hadley

Residents can call the City Clerk’s Office at 322-5520 with any questions regarding voter registration.
In South Hadley, absentee ballots are currently the only option to vote by mail. To apply to vote absentee by mail, you can submit the Absentee Ballot Application on the town’s website under the elections page.

You can also bring any signed request for a ballot to the town clerk’s office by mail, Town Hall drop box or by emailing a scan or photo of the signed form.

Questions regarding voter registration can be brought to the town clerk’s office and they can be reached at 538-5030, ext 6183.

Easthampton

According to Barbara LaBombard, the city clerk for Easthampton, all precincts will vote at Easthampton High School on 70 Williston Ave. on Election Day.

Additionally, in-person early voting for Easthampton residents will be from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2 at 50 Payson Ave. on the second floor. The in-person hours for state primary early voting are as follows: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 27, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Aug. 29 to Sep. 1; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sep. 2. More information about ballots and dates can be found on the city’s website at https://easthamptonma.gov/164/ELECTIONS-IN-EASTHAMPTON.

Northampton

Meanwhile, in Northampton, early voting will occur on the second floor of 210 Main St. during the following dates and times: Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Aug. 29 to Sep. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Northampton website at https://www.northamptonma.gov/755/Elections. Polling locations are also posted based on the ward they live in.

Williamsburg

In Williamsburg, Election Day voting will take place at the Williamsburg Town Offices, 141 Main St., Haydenville. Early voting will be available on Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sept. 1, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Goshen

In addition to in-person voting on Sept. 6 in the John James Memorial Hall at 42 Main St., Goshen will offer two days of early in-person voting – Aug. 27 and Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days. The Town Clerk’s Office will host in-person registration on Aug. 27 from 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.

Southampton

Southampton will host in-person early voting on Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s office, Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 during regular business hours, and Sept. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day voting will take place at the Senior Center, 210 College Hwy.

Westhampton

Westhampton’s in-person early voting will take place at the Town Clerk’s Office in Town Hall, 1 South Rd., on Aug. 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Aug. 31, 12 to 2 p.m. Polls on Sept. 6 will be open at Town Hall. Westhampton has a drop box for the Town Clerk in front of Town Hall at which mail-in ballots can be delivered; ballots must be received by the Town Clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Chesterfield’s in-person early voting will be hosted at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall, 422 Main Rd., on Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., and Aug. 29, 5 to 8 p.m.

Worthington

Worthington will host in-person early voting on Aug. 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 12 to 1 p.m. at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall, 160 Huntington Rd. Mail-in ballots can be delivered to the town’s drop box on the ramp at Town Hall, provided they are received by 8 p.m. For more information, email townclerk@worthington-ma.us or call 238-5577, ext. 110.

Hatfield

Hatfield will host in-person early voting at Memorial Town Hall on Aug. 27, 29 and 30, and Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

Amherst

In Amherst early in-person voting will be available at Town Hall in the first-floor meeting room starting on Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. From Aug. 29 until Sept. 2, early in-person voting will be from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mail-in ballots can be submitted in the drop box outside the Main Street entrance of Town Hall, delivered to the town clerk’s office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Amherst has 10 precincts which were recently updated and can be found on the town’s website or by visiting the town clerk’s office. The polling locations for each precinct are as follows:

• 1-A: North Zion Korean Church
• 1-B: Immanuel Lutheran Church
• 2-A: Amherst-Pelham Regional High School (ARHS)
• 2-B: Fort River Elementary School
• 3-A: ARHS
• 3-B: Crocker Farm Elementary School
• 4-A and 4-B: ARHS
• 5-A: Bangs Community Center
• 5-B: Munson Memorial Library

Hadley

All Hadley residents should vote in-person at the Senior Center, located at 46 Middle St. Early voting is from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2; the hours have not yet posted.

Sunderland

In Sunderland, six early voting days and times are scheduled to take place at Town Hall. Early votes can be cast in-person on Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 29, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 30 and 31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sept. 1 and 2, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Whately

In Whately, early in-person voting will be on Aug. 27, 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., Aug. 29, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Aug. 30 and 31 and Sept. 1, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pelham

The Pelham Town Clerk’s Office will be open during normal business hours for voters to register for the primary. Registration at the Town Clerk’s Office will also be open on Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Early in-person will also be open Aug. 27, 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., as well as Aug. 30 and 31 and Sept. 1, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Early voting will In-person voting will take place at the Rhodes Building, located at 351 Amherst Rd.

Leverett

According to Leverett Town Clerk Lisa Stratford, early voting will be on Aug. 27, 1 to 5 p.m., and Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In-person ballots should be cast at Town Hall on 9 Montague Rd.

Shutesbury

Shutesbury’s in-person early voting hours will be on Aug. 27, 1 to 5 p.m. and Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In-person ballots can be submitted at Town Hall located at 1 Cooleyville Rd.

Cummington

Cummington's in-person early voting location is 33 Main St. at the Community House. They will take place on Aug. 27, 9 to 11 a.m. and Aug. 28, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Town Clerk Brenda Emerson-Camp also noted early voting will be available during her office's regular business hours on Monday, 8 to 10 a.m., and Thursday, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The primary field

The state primary features a number of contested statewide and regional races.

For governor, the Republican ballot pits former state Rep. Geoff Diehl, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, against self-described political outsider Chris Doughty. While the Democratic ballot features current Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, the latter announced in June she had withdrawn from the race.

For lieutenant governor, Longmeadow state Sen. Eric Lesser faces Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll and state Rep. Tami Gouveia on the Democratic ticket. On the Republican side, former state Rep. Leah Cole Allen faces former state Rep. Kate D. Campanale, who has been running as part of a ticket with Doughty.

In the race for Attorney General, Andrea Campbell, Shannon Liss-Riordan and Quentin Pelfrey are all Democrats running for the seat. The winner will face the only Republican on the primary ballot, James McMahon III, in November.

Incumbent Secretary of State William Galvin faces opposition on the Democratic ballot from Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP’s Boston chapter. The winner will face Republican Rayla Campbell in the general election. Campbell is the lone candidate for the position in the Republican primary.

Democrats Chris Dempsey and Diana DiZoglio are both vying for state auditor and will likely face Anthony Amore in November as he faces no opposition in the Republican primary.

For the Governor’s Council’s Eighth District, Agawam attorney Shawn Allyn, Springfield City Councilor Michael Fenton and East Longmeadow attorney Jeffrey Morneau are joined by Tara Jacobs, president of the North Adams Democratic Town Committee and member of the city’s School Committee, on the Democratic ballot. The winner would presumably face Palmer’s John Comerford, the only candidate in the Republican primary.

In Hampshire County, incumbent Sheriff Patrick Cahillane of Northampton faces two challengers in Yvonne Gittelson of Goshen and Caitlin Sepeda of South Hadley. Independent John Vanasse had intended to run for the position in the Nov. 8 general election but dropped out of the race and there was no Republican nomination, meaning the winner of this primary will essentially capture the seat, barring a challenge from a write-in candidate.

There is no competition for Hampden County Sheriff; Sheriff Nick Cocchi is alone on the Democratic ballot and there is no Republican nominee.

Recent redistricting as a result of the 2020 Census has resulted in new districts for several area communities, however, few include contested races.

Incumbent Natalie Blais is the lone Democrat for the Franklin District in the House that come January 2023 includes Whately, Sunderland and Leverett after losing towns in Reminder Publishing’s coverage area including Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Williamsburg, Shutesbury and Huntington.

Lindsay Sabadosa is the only Democrat as she runs for re-election in the House’s First Hampshire District, which also received an overhaul, now representing Northampton, Westhampton, Hatfield, Williamsburg, Chesterfield, Goshen, Cummington, Worthington after losing Southampton and the Hampden County town of Montgomery.

Democrat Dan Carey also faces no challenge in the primary or general election to his reelection bid for the House’ Second Hampshire District, which remained intact after redistricting.
There are no Republicans on the ballot for these positions.

State Rep. Mindy Domb is the sole candidate on either ballot for the Third Hampshire District, which lost Pelham in recent redistricting but maintains Amherst and Granby’s Precinct 1.

As part of the House’s Fourth Hampden District after redistricting, Southampton voters have incumbent state Rep. Kelly Pease as the lone candidate on the Republican ballot. There is no Democratic nominee for this seat.

State Rep. Patricia Duffy does not have any opposition in her reelection campaign for the Fifth Hampden District on the Democratic ballot and there is no Republican candidate.

In the House, Pelham and Shutesbury voters will choose representation as new members of the 7th Hampden District. Previously consisting of Ludlow and precincts B, C, and D in Belchertown as well as Springfield’s Precincts E, F and G in Ward 8 and Chicopee’s Precinct B in Ward 6, the district now represents Ludlow, the Franklin County towns of Wendell and New Salem, Worcester County’s Petersham and a fourth precinct to round out Belchertown in addition to Pelham and Shutesbury. State Rep. Jake Oliviera is vacating is seat to pursue lieutenant governor hopeful Eric Lesser’s seat in the state Senate. As a result, Republican Chip Harrington of Ludlow and Democrat Aaron Saunders of Belchertown are vying for the seat.

In the state Senate, incumbent Jo Comerford is unopposed for the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District, which loses South Hadley and Whately through redistricting while gaining several Worcester County towns. There is no Republican nominee for the seat.

The Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District, formerly the First Hampden and Hampshire District, will look different after the election. The Democratic primary pits Oliveira against political consultant Sydney Levin-Epstein of Longmeadow in a race to replace Lesser in a seat that after redistricting represents South Hadley, Granby, Belchertown, Palmer, Warren, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Hampden, East Longmeadow and Longmeadow as well as portions of Springfield and Chicopee. The winner would presumably face Republican William Johnson, who is the only candidate for the seat on his party’s ballot.

The Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden district, which includes Westhampton, Williamsburg, Chesterfield, Goshen, Worthington, Cummington, will have a new senator after the departure of Adam Hinds, who failed to make the ballot for lieutenant governor. Voters will have a pair of Democrats to choose from in the primary in Paul Mark of Becket and Huff Templeton of Williamstown. There is no Republican candidate.

In the Second Hampden and Hampshire District, state Sen. John Velis will be unopposed in the Democratic primary while challenger Cecilia Calabrese, an Agawam City Councilor, is the lone candidate on the Republican ballot.

Congressmen Richard Neal is unopposed in the primary and will face Dean Martilli of West Springfield, the lone candidate on the Republican ballot, in November. Congressman James McGovern is unopposed in his bid for reelection.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni and Northwest District Attorney David Sullivan are Democrats without challengers in the primary. There are no Republicans running for either seat.