2022 Arlington Primary: Everything To Know About Sept. 6 Election

ARLINGTON, MA — Election Day in Massachusetts will never be the same again.

The Sept. 6 primary election will be the first in Massachusetts to feature the state's brand-new, pandemic-tested voting system. The state Legislature passed the VOTES Act in June, making mail-in voting a permanent feature of elections in the state. The law also expanded early voting to all state primaries and general elections going forward.

That means hundreds of thousands of votes have already cast before primary day on Tuesday.

And the 2022 primary is a big one, especially on the Democratic side. By the end of the day on Sept. 6, we'll know which Republican and Democratic candidates will compete to take over for outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker, plus other key statewide seats like auditor, secretary of the commonwealth and attorney general.

There are also scores of other statewide races that will be decided on the local level for seats in the state Legislature and on the Governor's Council.

With new voting rules in place and a ton of candidates on the ballot, Patch has put together a 2022 Massachusetts primary voting guide to get you primed and ready to vote. Here's everything you need to know:

Important Dates

• Delivery of a mail-in ballot: Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.
• Voting on Election Day, Sept. 6: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Check if you're registered to vote here

Voting by mail

Massachusetts briefly joined a handful of other U.S. states in allowing voting by mail during the pandemic. Then the Legislature let the practice expire last year. Then they brought it back in June after passing a big, new voting rights bill.

If you're a registered voter, you should've already received a vote-by-mail application from your local clerk. Unfortunately, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot has passed, but voters will get another mail-in shot before the November election.

The state has changed vote by mail materials slightly since the pandemic, but the process is largely the same: once you get your ballot, you fill it out at home with a pen and then return it in a special security envelope to be counted. The best way to return a mail-in ballot is either by putting in your local ballot drop box or hand-delivering it to your city or town clerk. You CANNOT drop it off at a polling place on Sept. 6.

Polling places

If you're voting in person on Sept. 6, it's possible you'll have a new polling location.

Due to the 2020 Census, most city and town clerks in Massachusetts redrew voting districts to compensate for population shifts. Most likely you'll be voting in the same old place (or by mail), but you can check to make sure here.

Who's on the ballot?

Since it's a primary, your ballot will feature only candidates from the party you've chosen to vote for. Primary elections decide which candidate from the major political parties advance to compete in the November general election. Only the winners of the general election go on to hold office.

In 2022, Democrats have a much bigger field than Republicans with seven competitive races — six if you subtract state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, who dropped out of the gubernatorial primary in June.

There are also several key races to watch out for around the state Legislature:

• Jason Mackey is challenging incumbent Erika Uyterhoeven to represent the 27th Middlesex District in Somerville.
• Former Brookline Select Board Vice Chair Raul Fernandez is challenging incumbent Rep. Tommy Vitolo to represent 15th Norfolk State House seat.
• Heather May is challenging incumbent Tom Stanley to represent the 9th Middlesex State House seat, which represents the majority of Waltham.
• Nichole Mossalam is challenging incumbent Rep. Paul Donato to represent the 35th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Medford and Malden.
• In Worcester, Mayor Joe Petty and former Deval Patrick staffer Robyn Kennedy are competing for Harriette Chandler's state Senate.
• Four Democrats are competing for the 2nd Suffolk District state Senate seat being vacated by Chang-Diaz.
• In Framingham, a former city councilor, the school committee chair and a local progressive activist are competing for Maria Robinson's seat after she left for a job in the Biden administration.
• In Salem, a three-way race to replace Rep. Paul Tucker, who is stepping aside to run for the Essex County District Attorney seat.

Here are the competitive statewide races for the Democratic and GOP candidates:

DEMOCRATS

Attorney General

• Andrea Campbell
• Shannon Liss-Riordan
• Quentin Palfrey (dropped out, but still on ballot)

Auditor

• Christopher Dempsey
• Diana DiZoglio

Governor

• Sonia Chang-Diaz (dropped out, but still on ballot)
• Maura Healey

Lieutenant Governor

• Kim Driscoll
• Tami Gouveia
• Eric Lesser

Secretary of State

• William Galvin
• Tanisha Sullivan

3rd District Governor's Council

• Marilyn DeVaney, Watertown
• Mara Dolan, Concord

8th District Governor's Council

• Shawn Allyn, Agawam
• Michael Fenton, Springfield
• Tara Jacobs, North Adams
• Jeffrey Morneau, East Longmeadow

See Democratic state House and Senate candidates here

REPUBLICANS

Governor

• Geoff Diehl
• Chris Doughty

Lieutenant Governor

• Leah Allen
• Kate Campanale

8th Congressional District (held by Democrat Stephen Lynch)

• Robert Burke, Milton
• Hamilton Rodrigues, Canton

9th Congressional District (held by Democrat Bill Keating)

• Jesse Brown
• Dan Sullivan

See Republican state House and Senate candidates here