A cakewalk for Bill Galvin

THERE’S LITTLE THAT Secretary of State Bill Galvin has not experienced in his nearly five-decade career in elected office. But this fall, the veteran Democrat faces a situation new even to him: he does not have a single major-party opponent in his bid for yet another reelection.

Galvin, who will be 76 on Election Day, is seeking a record-extending ninth term as the state’s chief elections official. And for the first time in that historic span, Galvin will face neither a Republican nor a Democrat opponent en route to what now appears an inevitable victory.

It will be the easiest race for statewide office in Galvin’s career, and that could free him up to dedicate more attention to another priority: legalizing Election Day voter registration via a ballot question the secretary has been pursuing.

Only one other prospective candidate pulled nomination papers to run for secretary of state this year, according to Galvin’s office: Helen Brady, a frequent Republican contender. But Brady is not actually running, and the state Republican Party will leave both secretary of state and auditor — two of the six statewide offices up for grabs, not counting US Senate — uncontested this cycle.

It’s the first time Republicans are not fielding a candidate for state auditor since 2006. The incumbent Democrat, Diana DiZoglio, has strong support among many Republicans who like her no-punches-pulled approach to the Legislature, which has a Democratic supermajority in both branches.

MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale described the narrowed list of seats Republicans will challenge as a tactical choice, though she acknowledged that “voters are best served when ideas are debated and every office is contested.”

“Decisions about where to dedicate finite resources are strategic realities in a state dominated by one-party rule,” Carnevale said in a statement to CommonWealth Beacon. “Massachusetts Republicans are focused on rebuilding a competitive statewide operation, holding the Democratic supermajority accountable, and regaining the corner office in 2026,” she said, referring to the race for governor.

Granted, Galvin’s opponents over the years have repeatedly fallen short of making him sweat. After eight terms in the House and a loss in the 1990 treasurer’s race, Galvin won his first secretary of state contest with 55 percent of the vote in 1994, which remains the closest margin in his past three decades of campaigns.

In each of the prior two terms, Galvin had to fend off challenges from his own party. He crushed then-Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim — whose father, Lenny, is a historic figure in politics and civil rights advocacy with a bridge named after him — in the 2018 Democratic primary. Four years later, Galvin trounced Boston NAACP head Tanisha Sullivan by an even wider margin.

Now, it seems as if any would-be challengers gave up before even trying to unseat Beacon Hill’s “Prince of Darkness,” the less-than-flattering sobriquet that got attached to Galvin by rivals back in the 1980s.

Galvin is the longest-serving top state elections official in the country, a status he highlighted when announcing his plans to seek another term. The secretary warned he is “greatly concerned about federal efforts to interfere” with the 2028 presidential election, which would fall in the middle of his next term if reelected, especially in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection attempt in Washington, DC, and Republican-incited mid-decade redistricting efforts. He’s also pledged to resist federal efforts that would limit voting by mail or inhibit the 2030 decennial Census.

His powers extend beyond counting ballots. The Massachusetts secretary of state is also responsible for monitoring political lobbyists, regulating securities, and overseeing the sweeping Massachusetts state archives.

Well-versed in the levers of policymaking power, Galvin is leading one of the campaigns looking to leapfrog a recalcitrant Legislature and put a new law directly in front of voters for approval. His proposal, which is on the verge of locking in a spot on the November 3 ballot, would allow Bay Staters to register and vote in a single trip to the polls on Election Day if they fail to register by the current cutoff of 10 days before the election.

“I am convinced the resistance in the Legislature is too great, and there’s still a gap we have in our electoral process,” Galvin said of the idea last year. “It disproportionately affects poorer people who are tenants and move around [and] people of color.”

His pitch has drawn criticism from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, whose leaders argue allowing voter registration on Election Day could further overburden city and town workers who are already strained.

Early polling suggests voters are interested in the idea. A MassINC Polling Group survey conducted in March found 58 percent support Election Day registration compared to 35 percent who would vote no on the question.

So even if Galvin has no need to expend any energy on his own reelection, he’ll still have a reason to play in the campaign sandbox this season.