LYNN — City Clerk and Elections Chief Janet Rowe is viewing the upcoming Sept. 1 state primary as a “dress rehearsal” for the general election in November.
As the country is in the midst of a pandemic and this fall’s general election will decide the presidential race, Rowe anticipates that 2020 could be a “record-breaker for Lynn” in terms of voter turnout.
Voter turnout for next month’s state primary is already expected to exceed the numbers seen in the 2016 state primary, which was the last presidential election year, Rowe said.
Rowe is basing her prediction on the vast amount of mail-in ballot requests that the state has received from Lynn residents. As of last Friday, the state has received 6,700 mail-in ballot requests for September.
Helping matters is this year’s Democratic state primary features a highly contentious U.S. Senate race between incumbent Edward J. Markey and challenger Joseph P. Kennedy III, Rowe said.
“Typically, we don’t have a lot of people come out for (the state primary),” said Rowe, noting that most primary races often go unopposed. “I think, probably because of the Kennedy/Markey race, a lot more people want to vote. A lot more people are taking advantage of the mail-in vote.”
If all 6,700 of those people vote by mail, voter turnout would be at least 12 percent, as there are currently 54,307 registered voters in Lynn. In 2016, 11 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in the state primary, Rowe said.
Thanks to a new voting law resulting from the pandemic, signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker last month, all registered voters in Massachusetts can now vote by mail in the 2020 state primary and the November general election.
“To see this many requests, I don’t know if people are in love with the mail-in voting as much as afraid of the pandemic,” said Rowe. “A lot of people are taking advantage (of it). I think they’re testing it. Even us, (with how) we’re doing this primary, I feel like we’re running this election with a 10-foot pole.
“There’s so many restrictions to follow. I think this is going to be a dress rehearsal for November. You know everybody is going to come out in November, with what’s going on in the country. I think this year could be a record-breaker for Lynn, even during the pandemic.”
Due to the vast amount of mail-in ballot requests, Rowe is predicting a 20 percent voter turnout for the state primary next month. But the early interest in mail-in voting this election season could be a double-edged sword.
The U.S. Postal Service warned Massachusetts officials last month that mail-in ballots cast for the general election in November could arrive late and may therefore go uncounted, even if sent before the state-imposed deadline, according to a Boston Globe report.
Anticipating concerns that some residents may have over-potential postal service delays, Rowe said there are several other ways people can submit their mail-in ballots for the September primary.
Rather than mailing their ballots back to the post office, residents can drop them in a ballot box that has been set up outside City Hall or they can come into the building to deliver them by hand.
Or, if people are still uncomfortable voting by mail, Rowe said there are two other ways they can vote next month.
Residents can take advantage of early voting at City Hall, which kicks off next Saturday and runs through Friday, Aug. 28. Or they can take the traditional route and go out to the polls on Sept. 1, Rowe said.
“I’m hoping people will take advantage of the three options of being able to vote,” she said. “We’re using every precaution Michele Desmarais, the public health director, has given us. I think we’re going to create a very safe place for people to vote and social distance as well.”
In addition to the Markey/Kennedy race, the Democratic primary also features a contested race for the 6th District Congressional seat. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, of Salem, faces a challenge from Jamie M. Belsito and Angus G. McQuilken, both of Topsfield.
Lynn residents can vote at City Hall on the following dates and times: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22-23, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday, Aug. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 26-27, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Residents who opt to vote by mail can track their ballot on the Secretary of State’s website: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/.