There’s little that Secretary of State Bill Galvin has not experienced in his nearly five-decade career in elected office. But this fall, the veteran Democrat faces a situation new even to him: he does not have a single major-party opponent in his bid for yet another reelection.

Galvin, who will be 76 on Election Day, is seeking a record-extending ninth term as the state’s chief elections official. And for the first time in that historic span, Galvin will face neither a Republican nor a Democrat opponent en route to what now appears an inevitable victory.

It will be the easiest race for statewide office in Galvin’s career, and that could free him up to dedicate more attention to another priority: legalizing Election Day voter registration via a ballot question the secretary has been pursuing.

Only one other prospective candidate pulled nomination papers to run for secretary of state this year, according to Galvin’s office: Helen Brady, a frequent Republican contender. But Brady is not actually running, and the state Republican Party will leave both secretary of state and auditor — two of the six statewide offices up for grabs, not counting US Senate — uncontested this cycle.

It’s the first time Republicans are not fielding a candidate for state auditor since 2006. The incumbent Democrat, Diana DiZoglio, has strong support among many Republicans who like her no-punches-pulled approach to the Legislature, which has a Democratic supermajority in both branches.

MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale described the narrowed list of seats Republicans will challenge as a tactical choice, though she acknowledged that “voters are best served when ideas are debated and every office is contested.”

“Decisions about where to dedicate finite resources are strategic realities in a state dominated by one-party rule,” Carnevale said in a statement to CommonWealth Beacon. “Massachusetts Republicans are focused on rebuilding a competitive statewide operation, holding the Democratic supermajority accountable, and regaining the corner office in 2026,” she said, referring to the race for governor.

Granted, Galvin’s opponents over the years have repeatedly fallen short of making him sweat. After eight terms in the House and a loss in the 1990 treasurer’s race, Galvin won his first secretary of state contest with 55 percent of the vote in 1994, which remains the closest margin in his past three decades of campaigns.