Fall River polling locations report less in-person voters for primary

FALL RIVER, MA (WLNE) — Primary day in Massachusetts looked a little quieter at the polls on Tuesday.

“It’s been very slow, very slow,” Jean Furtado, a poll checker said.

Poll workers in the Bay State told ABC 6 News that the rain, along with more people taking advantage of mail in ballots, are a big reason for the small turnout.

“Rain always, you know some people walk, but some people drive, seniors don’t come out that much when it’s raining, and they’re our biggest voters,” Furtado added.

And poll workers told ABC 6 that it’s been harder to get those younger groups out to vote this year.

“A lot of people just want to get out, they want to do their social duty, I haven’t seen too many young people yet, but they might be in school, or working,” another poll checker, Loretta Mello, said.

Both early and mail-in voting, becoming popular during the COVID pandemic.

“This has been a tough year, I mean with the COVID, the last couple of elections have been tough and the last big election for the president has been a real tough one, so there’s been a lot of changes,” Mello said.

“And that’s why we have less people coming in because we do have those things and it is easy for them,” Furtado added.

The message throughout all polling locations was the importance of getting your vote in, regardless of how you do it.

“What you’re doing is you’re helping elect the people that you want to help you out in certain areas,” Furtado said.

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