Law and Government
Like an increasing number of Massachusetts counties, Hampden County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1998. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region, but there is no county council, county commission or other county governing body. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. Hampden County and Hampshire County together are part of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
See also: MassGov page on counties.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 13, 2010 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 116,645 | 39.66% | |||
| Republican | 38,458 | 13.08% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 137,244 | 46.67% | |||
| Minor Parties | 2,177 | 0.60% | |||
| Total | 294,099 | 100% | |||
Read more about this topic: Hampden County, Massachusetts
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