Currently, the planned date of the state primary conflicts with the second day of Rosh Hashana.
By MATT MURPHY
BOSTON - The date of the 2012 state primary election will be moved and could be rescheduled to a Wednesday or Thursday to avoid a conflict with the Jewish observance of Rosh Hashana, Secretary of State William Galvin said Wednesday as a top Senate lawmaker called the current election calendar “problematic.”
According to the calendar posted on Galvin’s website, the state primary in 2012, when voters will be asked to decide Democratic and Republican races for U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Legislature is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 18.
That date coincides with the second day of Rosh Hashana, a two-day observance of Jewish New Year that starts at sundown on Sunday and ends at sunset on the 18th.
Barry Finegold“I see this as very problematic,” Sen. Barry Finegold said. “There are people who literally won’t travel to the polls on that day for religious reasons and we don’t want to deprive anyone of the ability to vote.”
Galvin, the state’s top elections official, said the issue had already been brought to his attention, and though he could not commit to a new date he said there was no question that the election would be moved.
“We’ve moved it before. We’ll move it again. Obviously we can’t have it conflict with Rosh Hashana,” Galvin told the News Service in response to an inquiry placed with his office.
Finegold, an Andover Democrat of Jewish faith and the Senate co-chair of the Committee on Election Laws, suggested that the primary be held one week earlier on Sept. 11, the 11-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that left thousands of Americans dead. Finegold noted that holding a primary on Sept. 11 would be precedent-setting.
“I think if anything it would be really symbolic,” Finegold said. “When events were happening, Secretary Galvin, to his credit, didn’t call off the special election with Steve Lynch, and it shows you no matter what happens it doesn’t deprive us of our freedoms.”
Finegold was referring to the special primary election held Sept. 11, 2001 and won by U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch following the death of Joseph Moakley. Despite the turmoil created by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington using planes that took off from Logan Airport, Galvin allowed the election to proceed that day.
Galvin said he would not have a problem conducting another election on Sept. 11 despite the many memorial services and observances traditionally held on the anniversary of the attacks.
“That is not a problem, but what may be a problem is the availability of public buildings,” Galvin said. The secretary said he would work with municipalities to find a suitable alternative when polling locations would be available, committing only to a primary earlier rather than late than the currently scheduled date.
“It’s going to be earlier than the 17th. That I can tell you that,” Galvin said, leaving open the possibility of holding the election on a Wednesday or Thursday instead of the traditional Tuesday election, if it fit with municipal schedules.
Settling on a new date for the election, however, could take some time as Galvin said he is currently focused on making sure the redistricting process is completed in time to avoid a disruption in signature filing deadlines and delegate selection for the presidential primary scheduled on March 6.
“It’s not the most immediate issue [we] have regarding the 2012 election,” Galvin said of the Rosh Hashana conflict. “The most immediate need we have is creating districts for people to run in.”
Galvin said he anticipated the reprecinting process to be completed by the end of July when maps will be handed over to the Redistricting Committee to begin the process of redrawing Congressional and legislative district lines.
Galvin said he would like the Legislature to approve a new political map before the end of September to allow time for legal challenges.
Elana Margolis, director of government affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, called Rosh Hashana “one of the holiest days of observance in the Jewish tradition” and said holding an election on second day of the holiday created a “significant problem” for many members of the community to vote.
“We are aware it was scheduled for the second day of Rosh Hashana and have been working with members of the Legislature who are also concerned about the date and are confident there will be resolution to this,” Margolis said.
Newton Mayor Setti Warren, the leader of city with a significant Jewish population and one of seven Democrats vying for the nomination to run against U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, said, “This is obviously a serious issue.”
“We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to get to the polls on Election Day. I am sure that Massachusetts elections officials will take a close look at this issue, and that they will listen closely to the concerns of the Jewish community,” Warren said.