This year’s state primary ballot, coming directly on the heels of the Labor Day, will be a wake-up call that summer’s over and there are choices that need to be made.
The Democratic ballot, in particular, will feature a cornucopia of candidates, which town clerks like Montague Deborah Bourbeau think are likely to attract a larger turnout than usual for a state primary.
Highlights include a seven-way Democratic contest in the 19-town 1st Franklin House District, including Ashfield, Buckland, Conway, Deerfield, Leverett, Montague, Shelburne, Sunderland Shutesbury and Whately along with eight Hampshire and one Hampden county towns.
There, Kate Albright-Hanna of Huntington, Natalie Blais of Sunderland, Christine Doktor of Cummington, Jonathan Edwards of Whately, Casey Pease of Worthington, Nathaniel Waring of Sunderland and Francia Wisnewski of Montague are competing to fill the vacancy being left by 25-year veteran Rep. Stephen Kulik, a Worthington Democrat.
There are no Republicans running for the post. Although his name remains on the ballot, Andrew Baker of Shelburne Falls dropped out of the race in July.
There’s also a four-way contest for the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Amherst Democrat Stanley Rosenberg. The sole ballot candidate, Chelsea Kline of Northampton, faces competition from write-in candidates Jo Comerford, Ryan O’Donnell and Steven Connor, all from Northampton. There are no Republicans seeking the post.
That district includes Bernardston, Colrain, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Leverett, Leyden, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, Whately.
There is also a contest for the 1st Congressional District seat held by nearly 30-year incumbent Richard Neal of Springfield, with a challenge from Tahirah Amatul-Wadud of Springfield. There is no Republican candidate.
The congressional district includes Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, Rowe and Shelburne in Franklin County.
In the region’s other state Senate district, affecting Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe, Shelburne, there’s a less-noticed, two-way contest, with first-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield facing a challenge from Thomas Wickham of Lee.
Democratic ballot voters will also decide between Jay Gonzales of Needham and Bob Massie of Somerville as the party’s candidate for governor in November.
There is also a contest for lieutenant governor between Quentin Palfrey of Weston and Jimmy Tingle of Cambridge and for secretary of state between incumbent William Galvin and Josh Zakim, both of Boston.
The Republican ballot includes a three-way race involving Geoff Diehl of Whitman, John Kingston of Winchester and Beth Joyce Lindsrtom of Groton as the party’s choice to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker of Swampscott faces a challenge from Scott Lively of Springfield, a Shelburne Falls native.
There’s also a Republican contest for attorney general, with James McMahon of Bourne running against Daniel Shores of Hingham.
“Turnout for state primaries are usually very light, but I think this will be a good turnout because voters have so much invested, said Bourbeau. “We have a lot of absentee requests and a lot more absentee ballots coming in.”
The paper ballots in Montague leave no designated space for write-in candidates, which Bourbeau expects to “create more confusion” in the state Senate race with three write-in contenders as well as a ballot candidate.
The Secretary of State’s Office has promised to provide signs that can instruct voters as they enter the polling place how to vote for a write-in candidate, and Boubreau said that what is important is that voters are able make clear their intent of who they are voting for.
Sunderland Town Clerk Wendy Houle said that she expects about 800 of that town’s 2,434 registered voters to cast ballots – about average for a state primary – because of high interest in a town with two residents running for the state representative race may be offset because Tuesday is also the first day of University of Massachusetts classes.
“They’re just coming in,” she said of the students who also live in town. “Maybe we’ll get them (as voters) in November.
Write-in candidates could pose a different problem in Sunderland, which uses an optical scanner to count ballots. Houle said if stickers are used that become detached in the reading device, that could result in those entire ballots having to be hand-counted.
If that happens, despite having backup poll workers standing by, “You may have to wait a little longer for the results,” she said.
Of Franklin County’s 50,095 registered voters, 30.14 percent are Democrats, 8.32 percent are Republicans. Another 60 percent are unenrolled and able to vote in either primary.
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