Massachusetts State Legislative Republican Primaries, 2018

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2018 Massachusetts
General Court elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimarySeptember 4, 2018
2018 elections
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The Republican primary elections for the seats in the Massachusetts State Senate and Massachusetts House of Representatives were on September 4, 2018. For information about the Democratic primary elections in Massachusetts, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018. In the state Senate, all 40 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 160 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of September 2018, Massachusetts was one of 16 states under divided government and not one of the 32 states under a state government trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

    • Incumbents who did not advance to the general election[edit]

    Retiring incumbents[edit]

    Six state House Republicans did not seek re-election in 2018.

    Incumbents defeated[edit]

    No incumbents were defeated in the 2018 primaries.

    Competitiveness[edit]

    See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Massachusetts state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
    Year Total seats Open seats Total candidates Democratic primaries contested Republican primaries contested Total contested Incumbents contested in primaries Total incumbents contested in primaries
    2018 200 23 340 43 6 12.3% 18 10.2%
    2016 200 13 305 37 3 10.0% 21 11.2%
    2014 200 21 343 35 12 11.8% 15 8.4%

    Partisan control[edit]

    The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts State Senate as of September 2018:

    Massachusetts House of Representatives[edit]

    Party As of September 2018
         Democratic Party 117
         Republican Party 34
         Independent 2
         Vacancies 7
    Total 160

    Massachusetts State Senate[edit]

    Party As of September 2018
         Democratic Party 31
         Republican Party 7
         Vacancies 2
    Total 40

    Voter information[edit]

    How the primary works[edit]

    A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Massachusetts utilizes a semi-closed primary system where voters who are affiliated with a political party and unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary.[2][3]

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Poll times[edit]

    In Massachusetts, most polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. However, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[4][5]

    Registration requirements[edit]

    Check your voter registration status here.

    To vote in Massachusetts, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Massachusetts, and at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. An individual also cannot be currently incarcerated due to a felony.[6]

    The deadline for registration is 10 days prior to the election. A voter can register online, by mail, or in person. In-person registration occurs at the local office of town clerks, the election commission, or the board of registrars, as well as the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth Elections Division and the agency's regional offices. Pre-registration is available for individuals 16 years and older who meet all other requirements.[6]

    Automatic registration[edit]

    See also: Automatic voter registration

    Massachusetts automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, division of medical assistance, health insurance connector authority, and other agencies that collect what state law defines as reliable citizenship information.[6] If the agency determines a person is a U.S. citizen, they send the individual's name to the election office and a confirmation notice is mailed to the voter in 2-3 weeks.[6]

    Online registration[edit]

    See also: Online voter registration

    Massachusetts has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[7]

    Same-day registration[edit]

    Massachusetts does not allow same-day voter registration.[8]

    Residency requirements[edit]

    To register to vote in Massachusetts, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.[6]

    Verification of citizenship[edit]

    See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

    Massachusetts does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must affirm that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, the penalty for an illegal registration is a "fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both."[9]

    All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[10] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

    Verifying your registration[edit]

    The Elections and Voting page, run by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

    Voter ID requirements[edit]

    Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting, in most cases.[11]

    The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[12]

    These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.

    Voters will also be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:

    “
    • You are voting for the first time in Massachusetts
    • You’re on the inactive voter list;
    • You are casting a provisional or challenged ballot;
    • The poll worker has a practical and legal reason to ask for identification.[11][13]
    		 ”

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of December 2025. Click here for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

    “
    • A driver's license
    • A state ID card
    • A recent utility bill
    • A rent receipt or lease.
    • A copy of a voter registration affidavit
    • A letter from a school dormitory or housing office
    • Any other printed identification which contains your name and address[13]
    		 ”

    Early voting[edit]

    Massachusetts permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

    Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.

    Absentee voting[edit]

    All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Massachusetts. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by-mail.[14]

    Voters can request an absentee/mail-in ballot online, by mail, or by email or fax. Massachusetts sends an absentee/mail-in ballot application to all registered voters before statewide elections.[14] Applications must reach local election officials by 5 p.m. on the 5th business day before the election. Returned ballots must reach local election officials by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted. Returned absentee/mail-in ballots during the biennial state election in November can be received by local election officials up to three days after the election, provided they were postmarked by Election Day.[14]


    See also[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ Whipps changed her party affiliation from Republican to independent in August 2017.
    2. ↑ Massachusetts Legislature, "Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 37," accessed December 6, 2025
    3. ↑ Massachusetts Legislature, "Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 38," accessed December 6, 2025
    4. ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Polling Hours," accessed December 8, 2025
    5. ↑ Town of Natick, "What hours are the polls open on Election day?" accessed December 8, 2025
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voter Registration Information," accessed December 8, 2025
    7. ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Online Voter Registration," accessed December 8, 2025
    8. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same-day Voter Registration," accessed December 8, 2025
    9. ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Official Mail-in Voter Registration Form," accessed December 8, 2025
    10. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed December 6, 2025
    12. ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voting by Mail," accessed December 8, 2025
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    Categories: [Massachusetts elections, 2018] [State legislative primary elections, 2018] [Republican state legislative primary elections, 2018]

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