Massachusetts 2026 primary election guide: Voter deadlines, candidates, ballot rules
BOSTON —
Massachusetts voters will select candidates for hundreds of state offices in the September 1 primary election.
All registered voters in the state can cast a ballot; however, the options on that ballot are separated by party. Registered Republicans and Democrats must vote in their party primary, while unaffiliated voters can pick one primary in which to participate.
All polling locations will be open on Primary Election Day from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Vote by mail applications were already sent to every registered voter in the Commonwealth, and ballots are expected to be mailed by early August.
Massachusetts voters may remember that primary ballots are color-coded by party. Democratic ballots have a reddish header, while Republican ballots are blue. State election officials said the state’s use of those colors long predates the association of each party with the opposite color in media coverage and electoral maps.
In the primary, voters will not decide on the state’s nine ballot questions. Those will appear on the statewide ballot in November. Because of the number of questions, election officials said the general election ballots could stretch to two or three pages.
September 1st, 2026, Primary Election deadlines:
November 3rd, 2026, General Election deadlines:
Primary Election Candidates:
U.S. Senator
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
- Democratic – Sec. Bill Galvin
- Republican – No nominations
Treasurer
Auditor
Representative in Congress
First District:
Second District:
Third District:
Fourth District:
Fifth District:
Sixth District:
Seventh District:
Eighth District:
Ninth District:
Other races
For a complete list of other races on the ballots:
