Election 2020 Results In Western Massachusetts

Updated Nov. 4 at 11:53 a.m.

Massachusetts election officials are still accepting mail-in ballots for a few more days, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. But here are the tallies as of early Wednesday morning.

MASSACHUSETTS BALLOT QUESTIONS

Voters weighed in on whether to expand the state's existing "right to repair" law giving independent auto shops greater access to vehicle maintenance and repair data. A second statewide referendum would transform the way ballots are cast with the adoption of ranked choice voting, a system aimed at eliminating the so-called spoiler effect. 

Question 1

Question 2

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

All Massachusetts voters got a say in the U.S. Senate race, with incumbent Democrat Ed Markey up against Republican attorney Kevin O'Connor, who pitched himself as a candidate who can clean house in Washington. 

Massachusetts U.S. Senate

Residents of the state's 2nd Congressional District got to decide if Democrat Jim McGovern deserved another two years, or go with his Republican opponent, Tracy Lovvorn, who runs a physical therapy practice. 

Massachusetts U.S. House 2nd District

CONTESTED STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES

We've been following several contested legislative races in the western part of the state, mainly in Hampden County. The vast majority were already settled. Out of more than two dozen seats affecting western Massachusetts voters, just eight were contested.

Mass. Senate Worcester, Hampshire, Hampden and Middlesex District

Between the city of Worcester and the Connecticut River Valley, this central Massachusetts Senate district has been represented by Sen. Anne Gobi since 2015.

Mass. Senate 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District

This seat, previously held by Mayor Don Humason of Westfield, was the subject of a special election in May, in which then-state Rep. John Velis defeated business owner John Cain. The district includes Holyoke, Westfield, Agawam, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Tolland, Easthampton, Southampton and parts of Chicopee.

Mass. House 2nd Franklin District

This district, represented by Susannah Whipps since 2015, covers Erving, Gill, New Salem, Orange, Warwick, Wendell, Athol, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Templeton and part of Belchertown. Whipps is a former Republican who dropped her party label in 2017.

Mass. House 3rd Hampden District

This district, represented by Nick Boldyga since 2011, consists of Agawam, Granville and Southwick.

Mass. House 4th Hampden District

This seat has been vacant since May, when then-Rep. John Velis won a special election for state Senate. The district includes the city of Westfield. City Councilor Dan Allie lost the Republican primary in September, so he's not on the ballot. But Allie has launched a write-in campaign.

Mass. House 7th Hampden District

This district, represented by retiring state Rep. Thomas Petrolati since 1987, includes Ludlow and portions of Belchertown, Chicopee and Springfield.

Mass. House 9th Hampden District

This district, represented by outgoing Rep. Jose Tosado since 2013, includes portions of Springfield and one precinct in Chicopee.

Mass. House 11th Hampden District

This district's boundaries lie entirely within Springfield. The seat has been held by Rep. Bud Williams since 2017.

Hampden Register of Probate

The winner will lead the Hampden County office of the probate and family court — which, according to the state, "handles matters involving families and children, like divorce, child support, and wills." The incumbent, Suzanne Seguin, did not seek another term.

Voting in the region, during a pandemic

In Lenox, voting in person was reportedly going smoothly as of about 4 p.m. Many voters cast their ballots early, and some of those ballots will have to be hand-counted. The town clerk's office said they had received nearly 2,500 ballots so far in envelopes, but some were torn or slightly bent — so they can't go through machines. Town clerk Kerry Sullivan said about 60 ballots will need to be counted by hand. Ballots postmarked Tuesday and arriving by 5 p.m. Friday will be added to the count.

Many voters in Montague drove farther than usual to vote on Tuesday. Several precincts were assigned to one technical school on a large swath of land instead of the usual neighborhood polls. Even so, many voters said the process was quick and well-organized.

But Melissa Croteau of Turners Falls said it also felt less friendly, since people were masked and not talking to each other much.

"It almost feels like a prison, where you go in, you kind of go through your line, and then just go in, go out," Croteau said.

Also in Turners Falls, Rachael Dillenback, a substance abuse counselor, said she chose not to vote early because she prefers the symbolism of Election Day voting. She said she felt safe voting and that the polling station was socially distanced.

"I thought it was important for me to show my face and, you know, walk in and do my civic duty," Dillenback said.

Those voting in person Tuesday might have seen some of the more than 2,000 volunteers trained by the Election Protection coalition, a national nonpartisan group that works year-round to make sure all voters have an equal opportunity to cast their ballots. Volunteers were stationed in Springfield and Pittsfield, among other Massachusetts cities.

During a press call Tuesday morning, coalition member Pam Wilmot of Common Cause said that with some exceptions, voting went smoothly, but there were some challenges reported to a voter hotline early in the day. Five or six cities reported poll volunteers removed by aggressive law enforcement, and there were some voting locations with long wait times.