Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin calls for early voting in presidential primary

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin is pushing to allow early voting in the 2020 presidential primaries.

The Democrat is urging lawmakers to approve legislation that would give Massachusetts voters five additional days to cast their ballots before the March 3 presidential primaries next year.

Galvin has drafted an amendment to the Senate version of the state budget that is up for debate on Beacon Hill this upcoming week.

Early voting has been popular since it was introduced in 2016.

More than 1 million registered voters in Massachusetts, or 21 percent of the state’s 4.5 million registered voters, cast their ballots early in the 2016 presidential contest.

Under current state law, early voting is allowed for biennial state elections only. Galvin’s proposal would expand early voting to the presidential primary.