Early voting in Massachusetts, though it trailed the national average, had its strongest start in the suburban areas of the states.
Most of the early voting in Massachusetts was by mail, with approximately 1.3 million ballots returned of the nearly 1.6 million sent out, according to the U.S. Elections Project. In comparison, the state has had 961,381 in-person ballots cast.
Election officials predict that the strongest turnout in urban precincts will still be on Election Day, according to coverage by Mass Live. This is also only the second presidential election in which Massachusetts has permitted mail-in voting without a proven need.
Overall, early voting in the state saw 67.6% of the number of ballots cast that were cast in the entire 2016 election as of Monday, according to the U.S. Elections Project. Nationwide, that figure was 70.9%.
Mark Marshall, of Middleborough, said he plans to vote in-person this year and cast a vote in every race on the ballot, though the presidential race is very important to him.
As someone who thinks this election is particularly important, Marshall said that he is influenced in his voting choices by President Donald Trump’s record for keeping his election promises from 2016.
“It’s so refreshing to have a public servant, especially the president, who actually does what he says,” Marshall told the Plymouth Reporter.
Marshall said that he is also concerned about maintaining the principles of law and order on which the country was founded.
“One of the primary responsibilities of the federal government is to keep we, the people, safe,” he said.
As a retiree who is living on a fixed income, Marshall said he is also concerned about the state of the economy, which he feels was doing well prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The president and his administration are doing a great job, so I want to keep that going,” Marshall told the Plymouth Reporter.
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