DAN ALLIE
WESTFIELD – Yesterday’s Special State Primary election to fill the state representative seat vacated by Don Humason’s election to the state Senate apparently was not all that special for city voters, who failed to show up at the poles.
City voters mostly ignored the primary election, according to the unofficial numbers released last night by City Clerk Karen Fanion, with only 3.68 percent (883) of the city’s 23,882 registered voters casting ballots, one of the lowest turnout percentages in recent history.
State law requires that a primary be held prior to every election in the Commonwealth, regardless of whether a candidate is running unopposed or not in their party, to allow for party candidates running a write-in, or sticker, campaign to be listed on the ballot.
JOHN VELIS
Write-in candidates must receive 150 votes to gain a place on the special election ballot. None did that yesterday with the two candidates, who submitted nomination papers and whose names will be on the April 1 ballot regardless of the primary process, receiving the majority of votes.
The Democratic candidate, John C. Velis, took 393 ballots of the 398 ballots cast, while the Republican candidate, Dan Allie took 462 of the 485 GOP ballots cast yesterday.
The primary results will have no effect in the April 1st special election for the 4th Hampden District seat in the State House of Representatives.
Many residents are questioning the requirement to hold a primary election, which costs the city thousands of dollars, when candidates, who qualified for the special April election by filing nomination papers with the required number of registered voter signatures and who are running unopposed.
Fanion said the state reimburses the city for much of the money spent to hold elections, but that it there is still a cost to the city taxpayers to hold these elections.
“For the last U.S. Senate special election primary between Ed Markey and Gabriel Gomez, the state reimbursed us $38,072,” Fanion said prior to the special primary, which is “pretty close” to what the city spent in total. “Special elections are different. The state has certain formulas that we’re bound by for reimbursement.”
“We’ve had so many special elections recently, but this was the first time we really recognized there wasn’t a need, so we double-checked with the state,” Fanion said. “But unless they change the law, we have to do this.”
The cost of filling the state representative seat will continue when the special election, pitting Velis and Allie, is held on April 1.
Meanwhile, A former state parks official has won the Democratic nomination to succeed Boston Mayor Martin Walsh in the state House of Representatives.
Daniel Hunt topped a field of five Democrats in yesterday’s special primary for the 13th Suffolk seat. There were no Republicans on the primary ballot.
Daniel Joseph Ryan won the Democratic primary in the 2nd Suffolk House District. There were no Republicans on that ballot.
In the 16th Suffolk House District, Democrat Roselee Vincent claimed the party nomination while Todd Taylor earned the GOP nod.
Democratic State Rep. Jason Lewis won the primary for the state Senate seat formerly held by Katherine Clark, who succeeded Edward Markey in the U.S. House. Monica Medeiros won the Republican primary.
All results are unofficial.
