Don't forget to register to vote!

Friday is the last day for Massachusetts residents to register to vote in the Sept. 8 primary or to change their party affiliation before the primary.

You must be a U.S. citizen and Massachusetts resident age 18 or older to be eligible to vote. According to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office, in-person voter registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday. Voter registration forms that are mailed in must be postmarked by Friday. The forms are available online.

Online voter registration, at www.RegisterToVoteMA.com, will be available until 11:59 p.m. on Friday.

Voters registered in a political party - Democratic, Republican, Green-Rainbow, or United Independent - can only vote in that party's primary. Voters registered as "unenrolled" can vote in any party primary.

There are several Western Massachusetts races with competitive primaries on the Democratic side, including a race for Governor's Council, races for sheriff in Hampden and Hampshire counties, and several legislative races. There are no competitive Republican primaries in Western Massachusetts