Mass. officials expect record turnout in 2024 election

Secretary of State William Galvin expects record turnout in the 2024 election in Massachusetts, eclipsing the 2020 turnout of 3.7 million voters.

"We're going to have what I believe will be record turnout — not record by a great amount, but a record," Galvin said during a press conference Monday morning.

The state's top election official said about 1.7 million ballots have been returned during the early voting period, either through in-person early voting or mail-in ballots. That means about 34% of the state's electorate cast a ballot before Election Day.

On Tuesday, polls open at 7 a.m., and close at 8 p.m. If you are in line at 8 p.m., you can stay in line until you cast your ballot.

Galvin suggested voters double check where their polling location is on the state's website as sites sometimes change. He also noted that this year's ballot is two-sided — so make sure to turn it over to finish marking your decisions before submitting your ballot.

By law in Massachusetts, there is a police officer at every polling location. Galvin said officials were not aware of any active threats, but said they are "concerned about the general atmosphere." Though law enforcement officers across the state have noted to WBUR they have spent months preparing to step up efforts to protect the public on Election Day.

And Galvin noted that no political activity is allowed within 150 feet of a polling location, including attire with political slogans.

In 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — about 1.5 million ballots were cast by mail and 844,000 residents voted during early in-person voting. Mail-in voting won't reach the same high this year; only 1.3 million residents applied for a mail-in ballot this election cycle.

More than 82% of those who received a mail-in ballot have already returned them, according to state data released Monday afternoon. Galvin says he suspects the number will increase as ballots continue to arrive and get counted. Election officials recommend that those who still need to return their ballots do so by using their community's official drop box, or bringing the ballot to their local election office rather than putting it in the mail. (Find locations here.)

Galvin said that though he may not agree with other states' policies or political lean, he does value the commitment of election officials across the country to run elections with integrity.

"They're honest people and the tallies they present are honest tallies. I think it's very important as our country approaches this pivotal election — in light of all that's happened over the last several years — to reaffirm the basic honesty and integrity of those who conduct elections in our country," Galvin said. "I think as we approach this very sensitive and intense election, I think we can also be aware of the fact of the commitment of those people to the honesty of the process and to democracy itself."

In addition to determining the next president, the 2024 election features a challenge to two-term incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a number of ballot questions as well as other state and local offices.

The deadline to register to vote in Massachusetts this year has passed. The number of registered voters in the state has grown by about 242,000 since the last presidential election, to over 5 million people.

In 2020, there were about 4.8 million registered voters (with 76% casting a ballot), and in 2016 there were 4.5 million registered voters (with about 74% voting), according to state data.