Primaries: What are they? How do they work?
With election season kicking off last week in Iowa, these are some things to know about what, when and how primary elections work in order to keep you informed on how to perform your civic duty of voting.
What are primary elections?
Primaries are elections slated to decide the candidate each party will send to the general election in November. These are important to participate in to make sure your voice is heard on who you want to represent your party in office.
When are primary elections?
Primary elections occur at different times around the country, traditionally starting in Iowa (dubbed the Iowa Caucus) in January and the last states primaries end in early June, just in time for the Republican National Convention.
The Massachusetts State Primaries will occur on March 5th this year. Those 18 years and older will be able to vote by mail or at the polls on primary day. You can check your voter registration status by clicking the following link: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/voterregistrationsearch/
If this is your first time voting you will receive a letter in the mail from the Commonwealth providing all necessary information for voting including your local polling location. It is not necessary to vote in the primaries in order to vote in the November general election, however it is highly encouraged if you are eligible.
How do the primaries work?
Each party has a set number of delegates in any given state, candidates “win” the primary by collecting the most amount of delegates. However it is important to note that Democrats and Republicans distribute their delegates to candidates differently state to state.
In Republican primaries, some states distribute their delegates based on the proportion of the popular vote a candidate receives and others assign them on a “winner takes all'' basis, as whoever wins the popular vote wins all of the party’s delegates in the state.
In Democratic primaries, delegates are distributed to candidates who meet the 15% popular vote threshold proportionally.
The party nominee is officially chosen at their respective national convention in the Summer, for a candidate to win the nomination they must receive the majority of their party's delegates. Republicans have 2,429 delegates and Democrats have 3,900 delegates available nationwide.
Massachusetts has 40 Republican (proportionally allocated) delegates and 116 Democratic delegates at stake in the 2024 primaries.
It is important to note that Massachusetts is a closed primary state. This means you can only vote for candidates that are affiliated with your own party in the primary elections. Those who pre-registered to vote when obtaining a driving license are automatically declared unenrolled and can choose which party to vote with. You can check if you are affiliated with a party by clicking here.
Registered voters can vote for any candidate in the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Red box indicates party enrollment
In order to vote you must be registered 10 days before election day. The deadline for the primaries is February 24 and October 26 for the general election. You register online by clicking here.