This weekend, early voting opens in the Town House. And voters are already starting to send in their Vote By Mail ballots. So, it’s time to update readers on the details, and what’s on our ballots in Southborough — which includes 5 petition questions this year.
Early voting will be available through November 1st and there is plenty of time to get your ballots in. (In fact, there is even still time to register. Just be sure to act by October 26th.)
So, you can take time to look into the details before casting votes.
What’s on the ballot
Ballot Questions
A quick Google search on the ballot questions will pull up a slew of opinions on which way to vote. The links I included below are just to help you understand the details and debate around each question:
- Question 1: Authorization of State Auditor to Audit General Court Initiative
- Question 2: Repeal Competency Assessment Requirement for High School Graduation Initiative:
- Question 3: Unionization and Collective Bargaining for Transportation Network Drivers Initiative:
- Question 4: Regulated Access to Psychedelic Substances Initiative:
- Question 5: Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees Initiative:
You can read the full text of each question here. And Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis put together additional “non-partisan” factual context for each question here.
For more on the arguments by the Yes and No sides, check out debates moderated by WBUR and GBH Boston Public Radio.
Both radio stations have been holding them the debates this week with the last ones scheduled for Friday. WBUR already covered 1 & 2 and GBH 2,4 & 5. The one exception is Question 3. They will cover it on GBH, but have stated that no one was willing to appear for the No side on that question. (You can read interesting coverage on the industry’s public stances on the measure by the Boston Globe here. That article doesn’t note that the Globe’s Editorial Board took a yes stance on the question.)
As for who is running. . .
The Candidates
We all know that the Presidential ticket is on the ballot. Some voters may not realize there are more than two parties vying for votes. In Massachusetts, voters can choose from electors for:
- Ayyadurai and Ellis, Independent
- De La Cruz and Garcia, Socialism and Liberation
- Harris and Walz, Democratic
- Kennedy and Shanahan, We the People
- Oliver and Ter Maat, Libertarian
- Stein and Caballero-Roca, Green-Rainbow Party
- Trump and Vance, Republican
There are three other contests on Southborough’s ballot:
Senator In Congress (U.S. Senate):
This week, WBZ hosted a debate between the two senate candidates. You can watch that here.
- Elizabeth Ann Warren (candidate for re-election), Democratic
- John Deaton, Republican
Representative In Congress (U.S. House Of Representatives):
The Telegram covered the race, summarizing candidates’ purported positions here.
- James P. McGovern (candidate for re-election), Democratic
- Cornelius Shea, Independent
Representative In General Court (State Representative for the 19th Worcester District):
- Kate Donaghue (candidate for re-election), Democratic
- Boyd Stewart Conklin, Massachusetts Great Again
Other candidates uncontested on our ballot are:
- Councillor (Governor’s Council, 3rd District): Mara Dolan, Democratic
- Senator In General Court (State Senator for the Middlesex & Worcester District): James B. Eldridge (candidate for re-election), Democratic
- Clerk Of Courts, for Worcester County): Dennis P. Mcmanus (candidate for re-election), Democratic
- Register Of Deeds, for Worcester District): Kathryn A. Toomey (candidate for re-election), Democratic
Voting in-person or by mail
[Editor’s Note: Since I wrote this post, the Town Clerk shared an FAQs sheet to share with readers about voting and registration. You can view that here.]
While all three precincts vote in (or mail to) the same location, you do need to know what precinct you’re in. If you aren’t sure, you can check that here.
The early in-person voting will be at the Town Clerk’s area, downstairs at the Town House (17 Common Street). The hours are 8:00 am to noon on weekends and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays this Saturday, October 19th through Friday, November 1st.
Election Day voting is at Trottier Middle School’s gym (49 Parkerville Road) on Tuesday, November 5th from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm.
If you prefer to vote by mail, and haven’t requested a ballot yet, click here for info on the Town Clerk’s website. If you can’t recall, please call them to double check. According to Town Clerk Jim Hegarty, if you put in multiple requests, they have to process sending out a ballot for each.
On Tuesday, October 8th, Hegarty stated that the ballots for applications that had already been received were all going out by the next morning. Others would be processed as the applications come in.
A couple of quick voting by mail reminders. It’s important to carefully follow the instructions included with the ballot. If you prefer to drop it, rather than worry about the mail, the Town has a blue election drop off box at the Town House where you can deposit ballots before 8:00 pm on November 5th.
You can find more details on voting in Southborough here.
Updated (10/21/24 8:23 am): I’m sharing the Town Clerk’s FAQs on voting.
