Super Tuesday In Watertown: Everything You Need To Know

WATERTOWN, MA — Super Tuesday in Massachusetts is shaping up to be a pretty big day. On Monday, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin predicted that about 1.85 million people will vote on Tuesday, which is just slightly less than the total in the 2016 Massachusetts presidential primary.

But Galvin also said that it's possible up to 1.5 million Democrats will turn out to vote, higher than the 1.2 million who voted in the Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders match in 2016. The lower overall turnout is due to a Republican primary that President Donald Trump is expected to win by a mile.
READ Super Tuesday In MA: What's At Stake In Democratic Primary

If you plan on voting on Super Tuesday, it's best to plan ahead so you know where to vote and what your vote means. Here are some key things to know before you head to the polls:

Where to vote
Find your polling place on the Secretary of the Commonwealth website.

What time polls open, close
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across Massachusetts.

Absentee voting
If you can't get to the polls on Tuesday, you or a relative can ask a local election official for an absentee ballot. Read more about the rules and requirements on the Secretary of the Commonwealth website.

Registering to vote
If you missed the Feb. 12 registration deadline, you can't vote on Super Tuesday. You can still register to vote for other elections this year. The last day to register before Election Day in November is Oct. 12.

Who's on the ballot
The Democratic presidential primary is the big one. If you're voting in it, you'll see many candidates on your ballot who have already dropped out.

Democratic candidates still in the race:

• Joe Biden
• Mike Bloomberg
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Bernie Sanders
• Elizabeth Warren

Democratic candidates who have dropped out (but will still be on the ballot):

• Deval Patrick
• Pete Buttigieg
• John Delaney
• Andrew Yang
• Marianne Williamson
• Amy Klobuchar
• Michael Bennett
• Cory Booker
• Julian Castro
• Tom Steyer

On the Republican side, voters will pick between Trump, former governor William Weld, former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, and local businessman Roque De La Fuente. The Libertarian ticket includes Vermin Love Supreme and Dan "Taxation Is Theft" Behrman (that's how his name will appear on the ballot). The Green-Rainbow party is also having a presidential primary.

The State committee races
You'll also see candidates for state committee on your ballot. Each political party elects a state committee man and a state committee woman. These people then go on to make party-level decisions, like picking candidates to run in local elections.

Who else is voting
Primaries are being held in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia, plus a caucus in American Samoa.

How many delegates are up for grabs
A total of 1,357 delegates are on the table Tuesday. Ninety-one of those are up for grabs in Massachusetts. Thirty-two will be awarded based on vote totals, the remaining 59 will be divvied up by vote totals in congressional districts.

Massachusetts has the fifth-highest number of delegates to give out on Super Tuesday behind California (415), Texas (228), North Carolina (110), and Virginia (99).

Primary results
Election returns will start coming in shortly after polls close, and Massachusetts should have a winner before the end of the night. Other states, like California, vote by mail, so results may not be clear until a few days after the election.

Story by Neal McNamara (Patch Staff)