Marblehead voting precincts open at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. for the 2022 state primaries today.
Voters must cast ballots at their designated precints:
- Precinct 1: Old Town House, One Market Square
- Precincts 2 and 3: Abbot Hall Auditorium – 188 Washington St.
- Precincts 4, 5 and 6: Judy & Gene Jacobi Community Center Gym, 10 Humphrey St.
In the 2022 election cycle, a dozen county, state and federal offices open up on Tuesday, Nov. 8. In the Sept. 6 state primary, Marblehead voters will play a part in picking candidates to represent their party on the November ticket.
Massachusetts election law restricts voters enrolled in a political party to their party’s primary. An unenrolled voter, however, can pull a party ballot of their choice.
With no Republicans on the September ballot for Essex County District Attorney, the 6th District for the Governor’s Council, the Essex County Sherrif and the 8th Essex District, the Democratic victors in these races are almost certain (barring successful blitz write-in campaigns) to be elected to office in November.
That’s why the Marblehead League of Women Voters underscored just how consequential voting the Sept. 6 primary is.
No other race on Tuesday’s ballot has commanded Marblehead voters’ attention more than the contest for the 8th Essex District state representative seat. The office holder represents Marblehead, Swampscott and two Lynn precincts, and t is the most crowded race across the commonwealth on Tuesday – with a half dozen vying to succeed former state rep. Lori Ehrlich. Ehrlich, of Marblehead, held the post for 14 years until she joined the Biden Administration as the Federal Emergency Management Administrations Region 1 administrator on Jan. 31.
A digest of Marblehead News’ 8th Essex District coverage:
- State rep candidates echo one another at Marblehead forum: https://bit.ly/3TKWgCM
- In Marblehead, candidates make their case for 8th Essex District seat: https://bit.ly/3dAYSCi
- 8th Essex District candidates spar in final debate before Sept. 6 primary: https://bit.ly/3KMpSLP
- YOU ASKED, WE ANSWER: Given father’s job, how does conflict-of-interest law apply to candidate Tristan Smith?: https://bit.ly/3Qlbjjk
- Markey endorsement of Smith, latest in series, triggers response from women seeking 8th Essex seat: https://bit.ly/3AVuSKE
Marblehead News also asked each 8th Essex District candidate 10 questions:
- Q1. Tell us about yourself: https://bit.ly/3qbT7Oz
- Q2. What life event most profoundly affected your political views, and how did it shape them? https://bit.ly/3AItD0c
- Q3. What are your three top priorities for the 8th Essex District? https://bit.ly/3Ril9nG
- Q4. During the Marblehead League of Women Voters’ 8th Essex District forum, candidates agreed nearly on all the issues. How would you distinguish yourself from the others? https://bit.ly/3R2hpq
- Q5. 2022 has been a horrific year for gun violence. While Massachusetts has the strongest gun-control legislation in the country, what, if any, actions can be taken to further address gun violence in Massachusetts? https://bit.ly/3RfqzQa
- Q6. Marblehead has more than 14 miles of coastline, making it especially vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. How will you work with town and state leaders on sustainability and climate change issues, as well as plans to mitigate impacts in Marblehead? https://bit.ly/3ejFGcJ
- Q7. With respect to the Dobbs abortion decision, some are saying the court’s rationale also imperils other matters of personal privacy, including the right of same-sex couples to marry and the right to contraception. What should the Legislature be doing now to prepare for the possibility that these rights, too, could be abrogated? – https://bit.ly/3RfpZBY
- Q8. Marblehead falls far short of the state mandate of having 10 percent of its housing be classified as affordable. Everyone seems to support the concept of creating more affordable housing in the abstract. But Marblehead has made scant use of one of the state’s primary tools to increase affordable housing stock, Chapter 40B. Projects under 40B were floated at the Lead Mills and the site of what is now the Mariner, but their development (or lack thereof) went in another direction. Were these missed opportunities? What, if anything, could the legislature do to make towns like Marblehead more welcoming to 40B projects? Is this even a desirable result? https://bit.ly/3cONjrj
- Q9. It looks like now that the Legislature will approve a bill to legalize sports gambling, in some form, before you are sworn into office. What are your thoughts on how this debate has unfolded? Would you have supported the bill in its current form? Why or why not? https://bit.ly/3qbTIjh
- Q10. Massachusetts is consistently ranked among the worst states for government transparency, especially at the executive and legislative levels. It’s easy to support the concept of improving transparency in state government, yet even people with good intentions seem to get to Beacon Hill and find themselves unable to improve the situation in any meaningful way. What are your specific ideas to improve transparency that would both have a chance of gaining your colleagues’ support and also make a difference? https://bit.ly/3qd5pq1
Helpful Links
- Am I registered to vote? http://bit.ly/2dwThOV
- Where do I vote? http://bit.ly/2dwSRbm
- Track your ballot: https://bit.ly/3pOWGKm
- Identification requirements: https://bit.ly/3CAid1a
- Register to vote online: https://bit.ly/3ARc1Rd
Marblehead’s state primary rundown
The state primary ballots that the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website posted for Marblehead lists the following candidates:
Governor
Democrats
State Sen. Sonia Rosa Chang-Diaz of Boston
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey of Boston
Republicans
Former state representative Geoff Diehl of Whitman
Chris Doughty of Wrentham
Lieutenant Governor
Democrats
Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem
State Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton
State Sen. Eric Lesser
Republicans
Leah V. Allen of Danver
Former state rep. Kate Campanale of Spencer
Massachusetts Attorney General
Democrats
Andrea Joy Campbell of Boston
Quentin Palfrey of Weston
Shannon Erika Liss-Riordan of Brookline
Republicans
Jame R. McMahon of Bourne
Massachusetts Secretary of State
Democrats
Secretary of State William F. Galvin of Boston
Tanisa M. Sullivan of Boston
Republicans
Rayla Campbell of Whitman
Massachusetts Treasurer
Deborah B. Goldberg of Brookline
Massachusetts Auditor
Democrats
Town Meeting Member Christopher Dempsey of Brookline
Sate Sen. Diana DiZoglio of Metheuen
Republicans
Anthony Amore of Winchester
6th Congressional District in Congress
Democrats
Congressman Seth Moulton of Salem
Republicans
Bob May of Peabody
6th District Governor’s Council
Terrence W. Kennedy of Lynnfield
3rd Essex Senatorial District in General Court
Brendan Crighton of Lynn
8th Essex Representative District in General Court
Jennifer Armini of Marblehead
Diann Mary Slavit Baylis of Marblehead
Tristan Smith of Swampscott
Theresa M. Tauro of Marblehead
Douglas Thompson of Swampscott
Polly Titcomb of Swampscott
Eastern District Attorney
Democrats
James P. O’Shea of Middleton
State Rep. Paul Tucker of Salem
Essex County Sheriff
Democrats
Kevin F. Coppinger of Lynn
Virginia Leigh of Lynn
