AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Massachusetts on Election Day

By BILL BURKE The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts voters will cast ballots for president, Congress and the state Legislature in the Nov. 5 general election, as Democrats in the commonwealth look to continue their dominance in federal and state elections.

Massachusetts Democrats hold a so-called “trifecta” in state government, with a Democratic governor and strong majorities in the state Senate and House. Republicans control only about 12% of seats in the Legislature. Republicans have had success in the governor’s office, but that race is not on the ballot this year.

Topping the ballot this year is the race for president, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump will compete for 11 electoral votes. Massachusetts has gone Democratic every year since 1960, with the exception of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. The state was the only one to vote for Sen. George McGovern against Richard Nixon in 1972.

This year, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is standing for reelection, as are all nine Democratic U.S. House incumbents. All won their last elections by substantial margins. This year, five are uncontested.

Ballot issues may provide much of the drama in Massachusetts this year, with a proposal to increase the state tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers (Question 5), one to allow “digital” ride share drivers to unionize (Question 3), and another to drop a standardized test requirement to graduate from high school (Question 2). There are substantial backers on both sides of all these issues, and the questions don’t necessarily break cleanly across partisan lines. Democrat Hillary Clinton has endorsed a yes vote on the restaurant salaries question, according to the Boston Globe.

In addition, there is a proposal to allow people to grow their own psychedelic mushrooms under controlled conditions (Question 4) and another that would allow the state auditor to audit the state Legislature (Question 1). The latter was put on the ballot after Massachusetts courts ruled the auditor lacked jurisdiction to review the Legislature’s spending.

Massachusetts polls close at 8 p.m. ET and first votes come in quickly, but it often takes until after 11 p.m. ET to hit 50%. A small share of votes remain to be counted the day after Election Day. Mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 must be received by Nov. 8. That could be most relevant if the ballot questions are close at the end of election night.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in Massachusetts:

Election Day

Nov. 5.

Poll closing time

8 p.m. ET.

Presidential electoral votes

11 awarded to statewide winner.

Key races and candidates

President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green) and two others.

U.S. Senate: Warren (D) vs. John Deaton (R).

Ballot measures: Question 4 (legalize psychedelic substances).

Other races of interest

U.S. House, state Senate, state House, county commissioner, governor’s council, Question 1 (authorize the state auditor to audit the Legislature), Question 2 (remove MCAS tests as high school graduation requirement), Question 3 (allow transportation network drivers to unionize) and Question 5 (increase minimum wage of tipped employees).

Past presidential results

2020: Biden (D) 66%, Trump (R) 32%, AP race call: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, 8 p.m. ET.

Voter registration and turnout

Registered voters: 5,054,539 (as of Aug. 24, 2024). About 26% Democrats, 8% Republicans and 64% unenrolled.

Voter turnout in 2020 presidential election: 75% of registered voters.

Pre-Election Day voting

Votes cast before Election Day 2020: about 65% of the total vote.

Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 45% of the total vote.

Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP Advance Vote tracker.

How long does vote-counting take?

First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 8:09 p.m. ET.

By midnight ET: about 72% of total votes cast were reported.

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Associated Press writer Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.

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Read more about how U.S. elections work at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.