In the upcoming election Newton voters can chose among three candidates for at-large councilors from wards five and six. The instructions on the ballot tell you to vote for two candidates for each of these seats. But in the case where you really only want to cast a vote for one of the candidates, it is perfectly permissible to vote for just one. I just queried the election commission about this and received a reply from election supervisor John Doyle confirming this to be the case.
R.M. Mottola
Newtonville