State Primary Election: Belmont Backs Dolan In Gov. Council Race; Deaton Is Town’s GOP Voters Choice To Take On Warren In November

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Photo: Belmont party voters followed the state trends

Nearly one in four registered voters of the state’s three major parties ventured out on a brilliant late summer day in Belmont to cast ballots in the Massachusetts State Party Primary held on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

According to the Town Clerk, 552 of the 2,306 voters cast ballots Tuesday, or 23.9 percent, most of those Democrats (466) followed by Republicans (85) with a lone Libertarian.

In two of the few competitive races on Tuesday’s ballot. Belmont’s voters from both major parties backed the winning candidate statewide.

On the Democratic side of the ledger, challenger Mara Dolan took Belmont over long-time incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown, 233-200, in the Governor’s Council District 3 race. Second time was the charm as Dolan – a public defender who barely lost to Devaney in 2022 – defeated the eight term councilor district-wide, leading with 45,274 votes to 41,478, (52.2 percent vs 47.8 percent) with 99 percent of the estimated vote tallied.

In the race to select the person who will challenge sitting US Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the general election, Belmont’s GOP voters selected John Deaton with 56 votes, trumping Robert Antonellis (19 votes) and Ian Cain (7 votes). A personal injury lawyer who is backed by several leaders in the cryptocurrency industry, Deaton swamped Antonellis statewide, 124,825 to 50,560, with Cain finishing with 17,768.

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, who topped Robert Antonellis and Ian Cain,

Belmont Votes: 2024 State Primary Election

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Photo: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting in the Massachusetts State Primary will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

WHO CAN VOTE AND FOR WHICH PARTY

Your enrollment as a voter will determine which party ballot you can choose.

A voter enrolled in one of three Massachusetts political parties, can vote for that specific party, represented by these letters:

  • D – Democratic Party
  • R – Republican Party
  • L – Libertarian Party

A registered Democrat cannot vote a Republican or Libertarian ballot; a registered Republican cannot vote a Democratic or Libertarian ballot; a registered Libertarian cannot vote a Democratic or Republican ballot.

Only voters who are not affiliated with a political party, called Unenrolled (U – commonly known as No Party or “Independent”) can ask for any party ballot on Primary Day.

If you belong to a minor party which is not holding a primary – for example, the Green, Socialist, American Independent or Pirate parties – you will not have the chance to vote for in this election.

All voters wishing to cast their ballot on Election Day must go to their assigned voting precinct.

This election will determine who will be the Democratic and Republican candidate in the general election. 

The race that has seen the most attention is for the District 3 – which includes Belmont – Governor’s Councilor seat with long-time incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney from Watertown begin challenged again by Mara Dolan of Concord who has picked up the endorsements of many of the leading elected officials in the district. The same two candidates faced each other in 2022, with Petitto Devaney barely retaining her seat garnering just 51 percent of the vote.

There are three Republicans running to take on incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren for the US Senate in November: engineer Robert J. Antonellis, Quincy City Council President Ian Cain, and lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate John Deaton.

Belmont’s voting precincts:

  • Precinct One: Belmont Memorial Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Select Board Room 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.
  • Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Road, Enter From Cross St.

Inactivated Voters

Voters who have been informed that their voting status has been changed to Inactive should be prepared to present identification before being permitted to vote.

If You Requested a Vote By Mail Ballot But Prefer to Vote In Person

Voters who have requested an absentee or an early vote by mail ballot should expect that the precinct will check with the Town Clerk to determine if a ballot has already been received for that voter.

Voters who Need to Return their Mailed Ballot for Counting

Any voter who would like to return a absentee or vote by mail ballot  to be counted, must return the ballot  to the Town Clerk by the close of polls on election night, 8 pm.  It cannot be delivered to a voting precinct. There is a dedicated drop box for the Town Clerk at the base of the steps to Town Hall along the driveway at parking lot level.

Early Voting For State Party Primary Election Starts Saturday, Aug. 24

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Photo: Early voting starts Saturday, Aug. 24

Voters will decide their political party’s candidates for the general election in November at the State Primary Election on Tuesday, Sept. 3 – the day after Labor Day – with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 pm.

But why wait until the day after the summer holiday to vote when you can perform that task before you head off for the beach or backyard? In Person Early Voting begins on Saturday, Aug. 24 and lasts until Noon, Friday, Aug. 30. All in person early voting will take place at the Belmont Town Hall. Here’s the schedule:

DateTime
Saturday, August 2410 AM to 4 PM
Sunday, August 25No Early Voting
Monday, August 268 AM to 7 PM
Tuesday, August 278 AM to 4 PM
Wednesday, August 288 AM to 4 PM
Thursday, August 298 AM to 4 PM
Friday, August 308 AM to Noon

The final day to register to vote in the primary is Saturday, Aug. 24:

  • by 5 p.m. for in-person requests at Town Hall,
  • by 11:59 p.m. for online requests, and
  • postmarked by the deadline date for mail-in requests.

Voter registrations received after 5 p.m. on the 24th will be entered after the election.

There is a caveat to vote in this election: voters enrolled in either the Democratic, Libertarian or Republican party can vote only in that party’s primary. Enrollment in a political party does not affect your right to vote in the general election.

Unenrolled voters may cast a primary ballot for any party. Voters in political designations are treated as “Unenrolled” voters for primary purposes, and so they may choose to vote in any one of the party primaries.

If you have any questions on elections in Belmont, contact the Town Clerk at ecushman@belmont-ma.gov or call (617) 993-2604.