A record 1.7 million Massachusetts voters cast ballots in last week’s unusual, largely mail-in state primary election, marking the largest percentage of registered voters participating in a state primary in three decades, the secretary of state said Wednesday.
Voters cast 1,427,868 Democratic, 272,648 Republican, 4,871 Libertarian, and 1,605 Green-Rainbow ballots, Secretary William F. Galvin said in a statement.
“I am thrilled that so many Massachusetts voters chose to participate in our State Primaries this year, whether it was by mail, during early voting, or in person on September 1st,” Galvin said in the statement. “Our local election officials worked tirelessly to make certain that everyone could vote safely and conveniently, ensuring that our primaries were a success, and I thank them for all of their hard work.”
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The previous state primary turnout record was set in 1990, when 1,551,644 voters cast ballots, Galvin said.
The day after last week’s election, Galvin said his office was still collecting results but expected turnout to set a record. On Wednesday, he suggested there could be another record in the general election.
“I look forward to seeing even more voters cast ballots in November,” Galvin said.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.