Primary Day Voting

We've been asked a couple times about the particularities of voting in the primaries tomorrow. Bostonist doesn't claim to be an authority on the subject, but we've taken a stab at answering a few questions below.

I'm registered Independent (or Undeclared). Can I still vote?
The most common question we've gotten is if it's possible to vote in the primary if you're registered as independent or undeclared. Sure. Pick a party and vote in that primary – but know that you can't vote in both the democrat and republican primaries. And, of course, to vote in the primary you have to already be registered.

Massachusetts requires you register 20 days before the election. So if you forgot to register before the end of August and really want to participate in the democratic process take a walk over to your local clerk or election commission office (or any post office) tomorrow and register to vote. Do it now and you'll be ready for the November general election.

Where Do I Vote?
The Commonwealth's Election Commission has a rather handy tool for finding out where to vote throughout the state. It will also give you the address of the town clerk and a list of the elected officials for your district.

I'm scared by ballots, can you hold my hand?
Nope. Sorry. Your vote is your own and we wouldn't dare go into the booth with you. The election commission has courteously included sample ballots in the Republican and Democratic primaries. Take a look at the pages, mentally prepare yourself, take a deep breath, and walk into the booth with your head held high – you're ready to feel the rush of participating in the election process and exercising your civic duty.

Ok, I'm over my fear of the ballot – but who should I vote for?
We could tell you, but we'd have to kill you. We could make an endorsement of some candidate or another, but that would be preachy...and arrogant. If you think we matter, that's cool, but we're just part of the Internet's vast network of tubes. If you need help making your decision there are a number of resources to help you make that 11th hour decision:

*MassInc: CommonWealth Magazine interviews the whole array of gubernatorial candidates. Yes, as they claim, even Green-Rainbow candidate Grace Ross.
*WBUR: what is supposed to be a complete online resource of what they pulled together on the radio looks to be missing a few pieces (candidates in parties other democrat). The links will give you information on a number of candidates, their back-story, and voices.
*BlueMassGroup: The lefty blog has set up a wiki with links to all the candidates websites. It's a horses ass mouth approach to politics (note: Strike a dig at politicians, not fellow bloggers at BlueMassGroup). Any and all parties are represented – most, if not all, races across the state are noted.
*MassVote.org: Shows only the contested races across the state. It's a bunch of PDF mumbo-jumbo, but with fewer links to follow this could be your crib sheet.

Voting absentee is another option all togheter - and no one asked because it's a bit restricted in Massachusetts. Laws on absentee voting are more stringent here than in other states. There are three reasons you're allowed by law to vote absentee: absence from your city or town during normal polling hours; physical disability preventing you from going to the polling place; or religious belief. If you've got hardship getting to the polls because of work schedule (and the damn T!) go ahead and claim that you're absent form your city or town during polling hours and vote absentee - you don't have to claim any one of the three reasons, you're just not supposed to use the application (en Español) if you don't fit the criteria. You can sign up until noon the day prior to election to vote absentee. It's a fun and hassle free way to vote.

Iraqi women dipping their fingers in purple ink, ballot boxes, polling booths, voting rights rallies, headshots of the candidates, or "I voted stickers" were all on our short list of images. Loveable Pedro beat them all out. Gosh.