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Markey Leads Democratic Primary With 60% in Poll

9/1/2026

29 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Massachusetts voters will cast primary ballots on September 1, 2024.
Polling places operate from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. statewide.
Voter registration deadline was August 22, 2024.
Sixteen-year-olds may pre-register but must be 18 on Election Day to vote.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey leads Democratic primary with 60% support versus U.S. Representative Seth Moulton’s 32% in a UMass-Amherst/WCVB poll.

History

Historical Context

The 26th Amendment, proposed on March 23 1971 and ratified by 38 states on July 1 1971, lowered the voting age to 18 after Vietnam-war protests highlighted “old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” Senator Birch Bayh’s hearings and a unanimous 94-0 Senate vote in March 1971 secured the amendment, which President Richard Nixon endorsed. Its legacy shapes today’s Massachusetts primary, where 16-year-olds can pre-register.

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Story summary

Massachusetts voters will cast primary ballots on September 1, 2024.
Polling places operate from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. statewide.
Voter registration deadline was August 22, 2024.
Sixteen-year-olds may pre-register but must be 18 on Election Day to vote.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey leads Democratic primary with 60% support versus U.S. Representative Seth Moulton’s 32% in a UMass-Amherst/WCVB poll.

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