PORTSMOUTH — When they go the polls for the Primary Election on Tuesday, Portsmouth voters will basically be choosing which Democrat running for Town Council will not get on the November ballot.

Eight candidates are running for seven available seats. All are endorsed by the Portsmouth Democratic Committee except for one: Michael DiPaola, the owner of the vacant lot on East Main Road in the south end of town that’s filled with signs using crude language to protest the workings of town government.

The seven endorsed candidates are incumbents Charles J. Levesque and John Mark Ryan; Juan Carlos Payero, a former School Committee members who was recently appointed to serve out an unexpired term on the council; Sondra A. Blank of the school board; and David P. Fiorillo, Timothy E. Grissett, and Tasha M. MacGibbon. (Council President Kevin Aguiar and council member Daniela Abbott, both Democrats, chose not to seek reelection.)

Voters will also see the name of Tarah Woods on the ballot, but she is no longer a candidate for Town Council. Woods had to drop out of the race after accepting an unexpected full-time job with the Portsmouth School Department. The Town Charter prohibits town employees from holding town office. Due to the lateness of her withdrawal, Woods’s name could not be removed from the primary ballot. 

The Democratic ballot also contains a contest between incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse and Michael J. Costa for Senator in Congress. Unopposed candidates Gabriel Amo (incumbent, Representative in Congress District 1), Linda L. Ujifusa (incumbent, Senator in General Assembly District 11) are on the ballots. Unopposed, incumbent candidates for Representative in General Assembly are on the ballots specific to their districts: Susan Ann Donovan (District 69), Michelle E. McGaw (District 71), and Terri-Denise Cortvriend (District 72).

The Republican ballot contains a contest between Patricia Morgan and Raymond McKay for Senator in Congress. Allen R. Waters is also on the ballot, running unopposed for Representative in Congress District 1.

Early voting began Aug. 21 and is ongoing in the Council Chambers at Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road, through 4 p.m. on Sept. 9, during regular business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday; and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday.  

According to Registrar of Voters Jacqueline Schulz, her office had checked in about 200 early voters at Town Hall through Tuesday morning, and had received 311 mail ballot requests.

Of the 14,683 total Portsmouth voters, nearly half (48.7 percent) are unaffiliated. Registered Democrats make up about a third, and Republicans, about 13 percent. Rhode Island has a semi-open primary, allowing unaffiliated voters to participate.

Where to vote Tuesday

If you choose to vote on Election Day on Tuesday, Sept. 10, all polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A photo ID is required.

Here’s where you go to vote on Tuesday:

• RI. Rep. District 69 (Precinct 2701): Hope Brown Center at Farnham Farm, 113 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Prudence Island

• District 71 (Precinct 2702): CFP Arts, Wellness & Community Center, 933 Anthony Road

• District 71 (Precinct 2703): Portsmouth High School field house (“new gym”), 120 Education Lane 

• District 71 (Precinct 2704): Portsmouth Friends Church, 11 Middle Road 

• District 72 (Precinct 2705): Portsmouth Town Hall Council Chambers, 2200 East Main Road

• District 72 (Precinct 2706): St. Barnabas Church Parish Hall, 1697 East Main Road

• District 72 (Precinct 2707): Portsmouth Middle School gymnasium, 125 Jepson Lane

Sample ballots are available at vote.ri.gov and at the Canvassing office.