Westfield City Clerk Karen M. Fanion
WESTFIELD – Absentee ballots are now available for the September 4 State Primary election, according to Westfield City Clerk Karen Fanion. Residents may go into the City Clerk’s office in Room 210 at City Hall and vote 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday; or send a letter requesting a ballot to Fanion at City Hall, 59 Court Street, Westfield, MA 01085 and an absentee ballot will be returned by mail.
The deadline to vote in the City Clerk’s office is August 31 at 5 p.m. Voting will be held on election day, Tuesday, September 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots will be accepted until the end of the day on election day.
Wed., August 15, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., is the last day to register to vote and to change party enrollment for the State Primaries (in towns with fewer than 1,500 voters, registration sessions must be held 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
Fanion said the new voting machines purchased over the last two years are ready to go for the State Primary election. The new machines will still have a paper ballot for residents to mark, that will go through the scanner. “The process will be the same,” Fanion said.
The list of all of the candidates in the State Primaries is available online at www.sec.state.ma.us.
Both State Senator Donald F. Humason, Jr. (R-Westfield) and State Representative John C. Velis (D-Westfield) are running unopposed. Velis, who was recently promoted to Major in the U.S. Army and is currently serving a six-month deployment in Afghanistan, will miss the election, but said he will be back in time to be sworn in.
Some competitive local races to watch include the race for the First Franklin, where seven Democrats are running to replace Rep. Stephen Kulik after 13 terms in office. The Primary Election for this race, which will appear on the ballots in Huntington and Chester, will determine the winner, as there are no Republicans running. Candidates for the seat include Kate Welch Albright-Hanna (Huntington), Natalie M. Blais (Sunderland), Christine M. Doktor (Cummington), Jonathan S. Edwards (Whately), Casey Thomas Pease (Worthington), Nathaniel G. Waring (Sunderland), and Francis E. Wisnewski (Montague). Andrew Baker of Shelburne dropped out of the race in July.
Springfield attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud will challenge U.S. Congressman Richard Neal as a Democrat in the State Primary. There are no Republican challengers.
The State Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. The last day to register to vote will be Wed., October 17, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (in towns with fewer than 1,500 voters, registration sessions must be held 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
