A blog for locals, by a local

Early Voting ends Friday

Act soon to get up to speed on the 9 ballot questions and be prepared to vote!

by Beth Melo on

Above: Details on early voting in person at the Town House, plus what you’re voting on. (photos by Beth Melo)

The State Election is in six days. But many voters are already casting their ballots in advance. If you’re planning to mail one in or vote early, time is running out.

I’m reminding voters about those details, and that there are a whole lot of ballot questions you need to make your mind up about before heading to the polls on Tuesday. 

Here’s my overview of what’s on Southborough’s ballots, where to find more details to help you fill in your choices, and how you can cast the ballots once you’re ready.

Scroll down for details on how to vote.

What’s on the ballot
Ballot Questions

This year, the number of questions on the ballot ties with the all time record in our state! Some are complicated/confusing. So, don’t wait until it is time to vote to try to figure out what they mean and what you think! (And if you are voting in-person, it is definitely worth taking a cheat sheet with you.)

Keep in mind:

  • Voting “Yes” on Q 1-7 seeks to establish new laws or actions. (“No” maintains the status quo.)
  • Voting “Yes” on Q8 repeals an existing law (on legalization of recreational marijuana). (“No” would keep the law in place.)
  • Voting “Yes” on Q9 would preserve existing law (on gun control). (“No” would repeal the law.)

Here are the questions:

  • Question 1: Applying public records law to the Legislature and Governor’s office
  • Question 2: Union rights for the state’s public defenders
  • Question 3: Replacing party primaries with a single all-party primary
  • Question 4: Should voters be allowed to register on election day?
  • Question 5: Making automatic tax refunds more frequent and less predictable
  • Question 6: An earmark for conservation and recreation
  • Question 7: Overriding local zoning to increase home construction
  • Question 8: Rolling back marijuana legalization
  • Question 9: Keep or repeal the 2024 gun control law

You can read the full text of each question and the official position summaries from the State’s guide here.

But for more helpful context and data to help you decide how you feel about the merits, I suggest checking out Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis “non-partisan” factual guide here. 

To hear what advocates and proponents have to say about the questions, check out debates moderated by GBH Boston Public Radio. (For some of the questions, there weren’t real debates, when no one was willing to represent the “No” argument. However, GBH did conduct probing interviews with the proponents.)

As for who is running for office on the ballot. . . 

The Candidates

There’s been a lot of media coverage about a potential “Blue Wave” (or “Red Undertow”) across the country. But not everyone picks their candidates solely based on what “team” they’re on.

For those of you who want to know more about who is seeking your vote, and their positions, below are the races with links to debates and other coverage that may be helpful.

U.S. Senator

Markey & Deaton participated in a debate hosted by WBZ on October 13th. (It appears the third party candidates weren’t invited.)

Governor & Lieutenant Governor

Healey & Minogue participated in two debates. The first was hosted by WBZ on October 8th and second by WCVB on October 15th. (It appears the third party candidate, James, didn’t get an invite.)

The Lt. Governor situation is messy. The ballot doesn’t separate the position from Governor, presenting it as a team (even though Minogue didn’t “pick” Oliver as his Lt.) While Oliver is still listed on the Republican ticket, it appears that the recently arrested candidate won’t actually take office.1 

(Before the arrest, Driscoll & Oliver debated on GBH on October 13th.)

Attorney General

There was no real debate. GBH hosted a 1-person debate with Walsh here. (You can view GBH’s most recent “Ask the AG” interview with Campbell here, which included Campbell’s explanation for why she wouldn’t debate Walsh here.)

 Secretary Of State

There was no real debate, since Galvin never accepted GBH’s invitation. GBH hosted a 1-person debate with Brensley here. (For Galvin, this recent Boston Globe story was the closest thing I could find to a public interview about his job/candidacy.) 

Treasurer

There was no real debate, since Goldberg never accepted GBH’s invitation. GBH hosted a 1-person debate with Dionne here. (You can view Goldberg’s recent interview on NBC10 here, with her explanation for why she wouldn’t debate here, and GBH’s angry response here.)

Auditor

There was no debate. (In this case, it appears that none of the news organizations are treating the 3rd party candidate as a viable challenger. I couldn’t find any interviews with Ozonoff. Recently, Dizoglio answered questions on GBH about her Ballot Question, #1, here.) 

Senator in Mass General Court (Middlesex/Worcester District)

Both candidates participated in a forum hosted by the League of Women voters in Wayland on October 9th, and recorded by WayCAM TV.

The following incumbents are also running for re-election on the ballot, but unopposed:

How to Vote

Whether voting by mail or in person, you will be asked to identify which precinct you’re in. If you aren’t sure, you can check that here. (Although, when voting in-person, someone will be able to help you determine that.)

If you never registered to vote, you have until 5:00 pm on Saturday October 24th to change that in time for this election.

If you are a previously registered, but are now listed as an “inactive voter” you can fill out paperwork to reactivate your status. (You will need to bring ID. And if you have been “inactive” for too long, you may now be considered unregistered. See info on the state’s website here, including how to check your status.)

Voting In Person

Election Day voting is at Trottier Middle School’s gym (49 Parkerville Road) on Tuesday, November 3rd from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm.

But, leading up to that, you can vote at the Town House daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, today through this Friday, October 30th.

Voting by mail

To apply for a mail-in ballot, click here. If you already applied for one, you should have received one quickly. (The Town Clerk, Amy Berry, tells me she began delivering them to the Post Office on October 7th and have been continuing to send them out within a date of receiving applications.)

If you haven’t received yours, or want to make sure the Town got your submitted ballot, you can check the status at Track My Ballot. (If you mistakenly only requested the primary and/or Town elections, you’ll need to apply again to get the general election ballot.)

To submit the completed ballot through the mail, make sure to follow the instructions included for how to handle the envelopes. And make sure the outer envelope is postmarked by Tuesday, November 3rd. It’s worth noting that, unless you request it at a post office counter, mail isn’t always postmarked the day it is received. (The postmark may be done days later after being sent to another regional facility for sorting. So make sure not to wait until the 3rd to mail it!)

Alternatively, you can bypass the mail and turn it into the town before 8:00 pm on November 3rd:

  • Southborough Ballot Drop in BoxUse the Drop box outside of the Town House, 17 Common Street
  • Hand deliver it to the Town Clerk’s office inside the Town House, 17 Common St. (They closed at noon today, but reopen at 8:00 am tomorrow
  • Note: Do not bring it into Trottier on November 3rd!
Questions?

You can find more details on voting in Southborough on the Town Clerk’s website here. And, if you still have questions, you can call the Town Clerk’s Office at (508) 485-0710 x 3005 or email townclerk@southboroughma.com.

  1. Although Oliver is still on the ballot as half of the Republican ticket, he officially announced that he “suspended” his campaign after being arrested and charged with drunk driving following an October 17th accident, in which he allegedly struck parked cars and flipped his own. (Oliver has pled not guilty to the charges.) What happens to the seat if Minogue wins is unclear, but Minogue’s campaign asserts that Oliver won’t be his Lt. Governor. (It is worth noting that Oliver had actually run in the primary on a different ticket. But the other Lt Gov candidates’ campaigns, including for Minogue’s endorsed candidate, were among those upended by a signature scandal this past summer. A professional consultant hired to collect nomination signatures for multiple Republican candidates allegedly defrauded them by submitting fraudulent signatures, causing them to not have enough valid signatures to be included on the primary ballots.)

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