Mass, Vt. Voters Select Presidential Candidates Tuesday

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Voters in Massachusetts and Vermont will be heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the presidential primaries. 
 
Super Tuesday includes voting in 15 states that will apportion about a third of all delegates to the primary winners. New York State and Connecticut vote on April 2.
 
Massachusetts is a partially open primary in that voters who are enrolled in a party can only vote in that primary but unenrolled voters can choose a Democratic, Libertarian or Republican ballot. Vermont is an open primary state and voters can choose which primary to vote in regardless of party enrollment. 
 
Early voting in Massachusetts opened on Feb. 21 and Secretary of State William Galvin said more than 700,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots within the first week of early voting. As of Monday, more than 50,000 people had voted in person.
 
The Democratic primary has incumbent Joseph J. Biden Jr., Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author and speaker Marianne Williamson on the ballot. Biden has 206 delegates and his opponents none. 
 
The Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District will also vote for State Committee Man and Woman. These are party representatives from each of the state's 40 senatorial districts who vote at the state convention. 
 
Sherwood Guernsey II of Williamstown is running for re-election as committee man unopposed and Marietta Rose Rapetti Cawse and Megan Elise Arvin, both of Pittsfield, are vying for committee woman.
 
The Republican ballot has seven presidential candidates though all but two have dropped out: Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Trump currently has 244 delegates to her 43. 
 
Still on the ballot but out of the running are Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy (three delegates), Asa Hutchinson and Ron DeSantis (nine delegates).
 
Running unopposed for State Committee Man and Woman are Nicholas A. Boldyga and Jessica L. Boldyga, both of Southwick.
 
The Libertarian ballot has Jacob George Hornberger of Virginia, Michael D. Rectenwald of Pittsburgh, Chase Russell Oliver of Georgia, Michael ter Maat of Virginia and Lars Damian Mapstead of California. There are no candidates for party committee representatives. 
 
All three ballots also offer "no preference" for presidential candidates and voting for town and city party representatives.
 
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; find your local polling station here

Tags: election 2024,   primary,   

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Veteran Spotlight: Army Reserve Sgt. Bill 'Spaceman' Lee

By Wayne SoaresSpecial to iBerkshires
FALMOUTH, Mass. — Bill Lee served his country in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976 during the Vietnam War. 
 
The "Spaceman" is the last Boston Red Sox player to miss time for active duty. 
 
William Francis Lee III, grew up in Burbank, Calif., and was born into a history of former semipro and professional baseball players. His grandfather William was an infielder in the Pacific Coast League and his aunt Annabelle Lee was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball player. 
 
"She taught me how to pitch," he said.
 
His father, also William, served in the Army as a sergeant during World War II and saw major action at the Battle of Okinawa as a radio communications soldier.
 
"My dad was tough, old school. My first big endorsement when I was playing was with a Honda dealership in Boston," Lee said. "I went to see my dad to get his thoughts and he says, 'If you come back with a rice-burning car, I'll run you through with the bayonet I took off a dead soldier.'"
 
Lee attended the University of Southern California and was part of the 1968 Trojan team that won the College World Series. He was drafted in the 22nd round by the Red Sox in the '68 draft. 
 
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