In less than a month, voters will choose who they want to run for state offices on the November general election ballot.
I’m sharing info on important deadlines, who is on the ballots in our town, plus potential issues that some Southborough voters who selected Vote by Mail may need to straighten out. (Especially college students and residents with multiple/seasonal homes.)
Voting & Party Registration
This year, only Democrats and Republicans are holding primaries in Massachusetts.
If you are unenrolled in either of those parties you can choose which of those which primary ballots you want to vote on. (That includes anyone registered with a “third party” political designations — Libertarian, Green, Rainbow, etc.)
If you are a member of one of the two big parties you can only vote on their ballot. But if you want to switch parties (or be listed as unenrolled) there’s still time to do that. It’s the same deadline as registering to vote in Southborough — 5:00 pm Saturday, August 22nd. (You can do that on the state’s website or in person at the Town Clerk’s office.)
Voting By Mail
If you want to vote by mail, the application must be received by 5:00 pm on Monday, August 25th. You can find the form here.
In a past year, Town Clerk Jim Hegarty noted that some residents ran into issues after they completed the state’s postcard application early in the year to vote by mail for the entire year. (Those were mainly residents who winter in Florida and/or summer at the Cape, and students whose college addresses change each school year.)
Unlike regular mail, our post office isn’t allowed to forward the mail-in ballots if they are sent to a changed/off-season address. Instead it gets returned to the Town Clerk.
If you are unsure of your status or have questions, you can contact the Town Clerk at jhegarty@southboroughma.gov or 508-485-0710 ext 3005.
Saving the Date/Planning to Vote
Regular in-person voting hours will be the standard 6:30 am – 8:00 pm in the gym at Trottier Middle School (49 Parkerville Road) on Tuesday, September 1st.
If you are voting by mail make sure to post it in time to be received by September 1st. One option is use the Town’s election drop box at the Town House (17 Common St) before 8:00 pm that day.
Early Voting will be held in-person at the Town House (17 Common Street):
- Saturday, August 22nd & Sunday, August 23rd, 8:00 am to noon
- Monday, August 24th – Friday, August 28th, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Contests on the ballot
Below are details on who is competing for Southborough’s votes in the primaries. (I inserted links to their campaign websites so you can research their positions.) Only Democratic and Republican parties have candidates officially running in our precincts.
The Democratic Ballot (click here for the full list of candidates)
Most of the candidates are incumbents running uncontested. (And it looks like six of them will also be uncontested in the general election, judging by the blanks on the Republican’s primary ballot.)
The big race that’s been making lots of headlines (and generating a slew of ads) is Congressman Moulton’s challenge to Senator Markey. But there will also be a regional race on Southborough’s primary ballot:
- U.S. Senator
- Edward Markey (Incumbent, Malden resident)
- Seth Moulton (Salem resident)
- view debates: July 8th debate, August 3rd debate, and stay tuned for August 20th debate
- Governor’s Councillor – Third District The winner of this race will be uncontested in the general election.
- Mara Dolan (Concord resident)
- Margie Palladino (Wellesley resident)
The Republican Ballot (click here for the full list of candidates)
Most of the Republicans are unchallenged in their bids to take on Democrats in the general election. But there is one contest, and it’s a key one.
- Governor
- Michael Roger Minogue (Hamilton resident)
- Brian Shortsleeve (Barnstable resident)
- (It appears these candidates won’t have a debate, since Minogue has publicly stated he won’t participate in a primary debate.)
