In the State Election on November 5, voters will elect Federal and State officials and will accept or reject five statewide ballot questions. Early voting ends November 1. With election officials recommending that mail-in ballots be mailed at least 7 days prior to the election, voters may prefer to drop ballots off at City Hall.
Where and When to Vote
Early voting spans October 19 through November 1 at these places and times:
- Sat/Sun: 11AM-5PM
- October 19, 20 at City Hall and Newton North HS
- October 26, 27 at City Hall and Newton South HS
- Mon-Fri: 8:30AM-5PM
- October 21-25 at City Hall
- October 28 – November 1 at City Hall
- Evening 8:30AM-8PM – October 30 at City Hall
Voting by mail and absentee voting. The last day to request a mail-in ballot is October 29. Due to possible postal delays, officials recommend mailing ballots a week before Election Day.
Completed ballots may be mailed or dropped off at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall or the drop-box located in front front of City Hall. Here are the deadlines:
- Ballots that are mailed must be postmarked by November 5 and received by 5PM on November 8.
- Ballots dropped off at the City Clerk’s office or in the drop-box must be must be received by 8PM on November 5.
Election Day voting in-person is on November 5 (7AM-8PM).
The deadline to register to vote for this election is 5PM on October 26.
Candidates
The candidates running are:
- Electors for President and Vice President (see national news sources for more information)
- U.S. Senator: incumbent Elizabeth Warren (D), John Deaton (R)
- U.S. Congressman: incumbent Jake Auchincloss (D)
- Governor’s Councilor: Mara Dolan (D)
- State Senator: incumbent Cynthia Creem (D)
- State Representative
- 11th Middlesex District: Amy Sangiolo (D), Vlad Yanovsky (R)
- 12th Middlesex District: Greg Schwartz (D)
- Clerk of the Courts: incumbent Michael Sullivan (D)
- Register of Deeds: incumbent Maria Curtatone (D), William Tauro (I)
Ballot Questions
The five ballot questions will determine the following (see the details links below for the State’s official information about each question):
- Whether the State Auditor has the authority to audit the Legislature (details)
- Whether the students will continue to be required to pass Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests to graduate from high school (details)
- Whether drivers for Transportation Network Companies (such as Lyft and Uber) may form unions to collectively bargain with such companies regarding wages, benefits, and terms and conditions of work (details)
- Whether people 21 or older may use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision and grow and possess limited quantities of those substances in their home (details)
- Whether the minimum hourly wage for tipped workers would increase to the full state minimum wage over a period of five years, after which employers could pool tips and distribute them among all workers, including non-tipped workers (details)