Revere goes to the polls in state primary election on Tuesday

Election Commissioner Paul Fahey expects a moderate turnout

  Polls are open in Revere on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the state primary election.

  Locally, there looks to be little intrigue, as both Democratic state representatives whose districts include parts of Revere are running unopposed in the primary. Jessica Giannino in the 16th Suffolk District, and Jeff Turco in the 19th Suffolk District both look like sure things for reelection in the state general election on Nov. 8, as well, as there are no candidates for those offices on the Republican ballot.

  Revere Election Commissioner Paul Fahey said he expects a moderate turnout. The last state primary with constitutional officers on the ballot – in 2018 – saw a 16 percent voter turnout in Revere, he said.

  The other contested races in the Democratic primary include governor, where current state Attorney General Maura Healey and State Senator Sonia Rosa Chang-Diaz are on the ballot, and lieutenant governor, where there is a three-way race between Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, State Representative Tami Gouvíea and State Senator Eric Lesser. Andrea Campbell, Shannon Liss-Riordan and Quentin Palfrey are all on the ballot for Attorney General, although this week Palfrey announced he was ending his campaign and throwing his support behind Campbell.

  Also on the Democratic side, longtime Secretary of State William Galvin is being challenged by Tanisha Sullivan, and Christopher Dempsey and Diana DiZoglio are running for auditor. Current Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden is being challenged by Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo.

  In the Republican primary, Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty are the candidates for governor, and former State Representatives Leah Allen and Kate Campanale are on the ballot for lieutenant governor.

  Revere voters can look up their precincts and voting locations on the homepage of the city’s website at revere.org.

  The city’s polling locations were a topic of discussion at last week’s City Council meeting, as Fahey sought the council’s approval for the election warrant and police coverage at the polling locations. Under the new state VOTES Act, the council needs to give its approval for the number of police officers at polling locations. The council unanimously approved having one officer at each polling location, as requested by Police Chief David Callahan.

  Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo raised some questions about the polling locations, noting that there have been a number of changes in the past several years, especially in Ward 3, where all voters now vote at the high school. “We should have certain voting locations that people can go vote at and depend on,” said Rizzo. “It’s like a moving target.”

  Fahey said the Election Commission is trying to keep polling locations as stable as possible and will be analyzing data after the general election to help determine how turnout is at the current locations. Fahey also noted that in the past Ward 3 had a polling location at St. Anthony’s Church but with “reprecincting” St. Anthony’s is no longer in Ward 3.

  Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna noted that all voting in her ward is at the Beachmont School but some residents live relatively far from the school. She also said she would like to see better signage at the school on election day.

  Fahey said the election commission will provide better signage. He also noted that the current effort is to keep polling locations consistent, but if the data comes in and there is a compelling case to change polling locations, especially in Ward 1, it will be considered.