Mass. Midterm Voter Turnout Predicted To Top 2014, 2010 Elections
BOSTON (CBS) – More than 2.4 million Massachusetts voters are expected to cast ballots in the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Secretary of State Bill Galvin said Monday.
The 2014 midterms saw 2,186,789 votes cast in the Bay State. In 2010 the number was 2,319,963.
About 585,000 Massachusetts residents have taken advantage of early voting, which ended on Friday, Galvin said. Unenrolled voters cast 55 percent of the early ballots, compared to 36 percent identifying as Democrats and 9 percent for Republicans.
Driving the high turnout prediction is voters' awareness that this is a national election, Galvin said.
"It's not necessarily the intensity of some of the statewide contests. . . it is the national awareness of this election," he said.
Galvin said ballot questions will be also be a factor in getting people to the polls, particularly Question 1 on nurse-to-patient ratios.
The polls open at 7 a.m. in Massachusetts Tuesday.
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