It is hard to believe it’s election season again, but the March 5 primary season has arrived and mail-in ballots can be returned now.

In addition to making sure you return a ballot to support President Joe Biden, please pay attention to the Democratic State Committee race for Middlesex and Suffolk. My name is Danielle Allen, and I am proud to be a candidate for Democratic State Committeewoman for this district.

The committee works to engage voters with our democratic process and sets rules for how the party operates and supports local town and ward committees as they seek to engage voters all over the commonwealth in our democracy.

As a 2021-2022 gubernatorial candidate, I came to understand and appreciate the importance and power of the grassroots structure of the Democratic party. All of our town and ward committees are like our civic schoolhouses. They are where people learn how to support candidates, and to be candidates. They are where we have the chance to lift our voices and shape the party’s agenda.

As the Democratic State Committeewoman for Middlesex and Suffolk, I would work to make sure that all our ward committees are up and running again, and that we are well represented at the party’s state convention. I would also work to help the party set up a MassDems Commission on Healthy Democracy to advance the values of inclusion, engagement and healthy competition.

An East Cambridge resident, I am an internationally recognized expert on democracy as well as former gubernatorial candidate. I am honored to serve on the boards of the Cambridge Health Alliance and Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. I come from people who have loved and fought for democracy for generations. You can learn more about me at allenforma.com.

I’m proud to have the endorsements of state Reps. Majorie Decker and Mike Connolly, former state treasurer Steve Grossman, Cambridge city councillor and former mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, Governor’s Council candidate Mara Dolan, State Committeewoman Linda Pinti and many others.

I ask for your vote for Democratic State Committeewoman to advance this work.

Whether you vote by mail, vote early or vote March 5, please vote for Danielle Allen.

Danielle Allen, Otis Street, Cambridge