Attention Massachusetts residents who are U.S. citizens: If you are not registered to vote, you must register by tomorrow so that you can vote in the March 2 primary. (Registration Information).

Why register with a party? So that you can vote in the primary, of course. Even though the Democratic primary may appear locked up by Senator Kerry, the Massachusetts delegates to the national convention are assigned in proportion to the vote totals they get in the primary. In addition, registering with a party in your residence is used to determine the voting power for your locality in the state party convention. Here, for example, is from the bylaws of the Massachusetts State Democratic Committee on the selection of selecting state committee members:

10. The members of the ward and town committee shall elect from among the registered Democrats who live in said ward or town, at a duly noticed meeting before February 27, 2004, attendees to represent the committee at the local conference, in a number equal to the number of delegates allocated to such ward or town for the most recent State Convention who shall represent the committee at the local conference. Attendees elected must be gender balanced. Each such elected member shall have one vote at the conference. In no event shall any town or ward that is split between two or more State Senatorial Districts elect more attendees for any local conference than that ward or town’s percentage of that ward or town represented in that State Senatorial District. Said percentage to be determined by the number of registered Democrats residing in each District.

And hey, once your ward corners the state convention, the world is yours…