BOSTON - The order in which candidates will appear on the 2024 Massachusetts Presidential Primaries ballot is now confirmed after the drawing was held at the State House Tuesday morning.
What You Need To Know
- The Presidential primary will be held in Massachusetts on March 5
- The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Feb. 24
- Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are on the ballot in the state
- State law requires that names be drawn in random order to appear on the ballot
Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin set the order of the candidates by spinning a gold wheel with envelopes inside and then selecting an envelope, repeating the process until all candidates were placed. State law requires the ballot be listed in random order.
President Joe Biden will be listed second of three candidates for the Democratic ticket. Despite a debate in other states as to whether he will be allowed to appear on the primary ballot, “Donald J. Trump” was called out by Galvin and will be on the ballot along, with six other Republicans.
“People are saying that we need to defend democracy, and as a citizen I might agree with that," Galvin said. "I think the best way to defend democracy is to participate in democracy."
Galvin said it’s not about depriving someone of their right to vote. If the state laws allow, they should be able to make their opinion heard by voting.
“Primaries are about voters," he said. "They’re not about candidates."
The ballots went to print Tuesday after the names were selected. The primary election is on March 5 and the last day to register to vote is Feb. 24.