Coverage of the upcoming presidential primary has dominated local and national news for months and months – and what may sometimes feel like years. But the state’s primary is quickly approaching – and so is the deadline to register to vote in the primary.
Voters who intend to participate in the Massachusetts presidential primary on Tuesday, March 1, must register to vote by Wednesday, Feb. 10. The deadline to register to vote in a presidential election is 20 days prior to the election.
Registration can be done online, by mail or in person. (Applications and additional information are available at sec.state.ma.us/ele and cityofboston.gov/elections.)
To change party enrollment, voters also must fill out a new voter registration form. Massachusetts has four political parties – Democratic, Republican, Green-Rainbow and the United Independent Party – and currently has 24 political designations, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
The 2016 Democratic presidential candidates, according to the Secretary of State’s website, are Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Hillary Clinton and Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente. The Republican presidential candidates are Jim Gilmore, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, George Pataki, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich. The Green-Rainbow party candidates are Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry, Jill Stein, William Kreml, Kent Mesplay and Darryl Cherney. (These are the candidates listed as of Tuesday, Feb. 2, but both O’Malley and Huckabee suspended their campaigns following Monday’s Iowa caucuses.)
The Boston Election Department can be reached at One City Hall Square, Room 241, Boston, MA 02201, 617-635-3767, ext. 4, or cityofboston.gov/elections.
