5 Things To Know About The Massachusetts Election
BOSTON (AP) — Here are five things to know as Massachusetts votes Tuesday:
1. AT THE POLLS:
Polling places in most communities are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Some locations open at 6 a.m. To find your polling place and see a sample ballot, visit: wheredoivotema.com. Secretary of State William Galvin predicts turnout will be more than 70 percent.
2. HARD-FOUGHT SENATE RACE:
Polls have showed a tight race between incumbent GOP U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democrat and Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren. The contest has been one of the hardest-fought, most personal and by far the most costly in Bay State history. As of mid-October, Brown and Warren had spent a combined $68 million.
3. ALL EYES ON BOSTON:
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, will hold his Election Night rally at the Boston Convention and Exhibition center downtown. He has a home in Belmont and his campaign headquarters is in Boston, but he is not expected to win the state. He and his wife plan to vote in Belmont on Tuesday morning.
4. A REPUBLICAN AND A KENNEDY IN THE HOUSE?
Democrats, including Joseph Kennedy III, are expected to cruise to victory in eight of nine Massachusetts congressional races (the state had 10 congressional districts but lost one after the 2010 Census). But the 6th Congressional District race could be interesting. Polls have shown Republican Richard Tisei ahead of Democratic incumbent John Tierney in the district, which includes the northern coast of Massachusetts. Tierney has been plagued by ethics questions. Tisei would be the first Republican U.S. House member elected in the state since 1994.
5. WEIGHTY QUESTIONS ON THE BALLOT:
Voters will have a chance to weigh in on ballot questions that would legalize medical marijuana and physician-assisted suicide. Polls have showed voters in favor of both, but a slew of ads in the weeks leading up to Election Day may have changed some minds.
Check: Campaign Central
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
