Voting In Arlington: Polls Open

ARLINGTON, MA — Election Day is here in Arlington, even though voting has been going on for weeks in what is shaping up to be a historic election.

In addition to the presidential and congressional races, there are several key races at the state and local level, plus two ballot questions. Voting will be different this year thanks to rules approved to expand early and mail-in voting in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are several ways residents can vote:

Mail-In Voting

Ballots can be returned by mail, emailed or faxed to the Elections Department.

Ballots may also be hand delivered to drop boxes located at:

- East Arlington - Outside the Fox Branch Library (175 Massachusetts Ave)

- Arlington Center - on Mass Ave, to the right of Town Hall, near the bus stop (photo and more information)

- Arlington Heights - Outside ACMI Studios (85 Park Avenue)

Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by Nov. 3 and returned to the local election office no later than Nov. 6.

Regular voting

Arlington has 8 polling locations that each host 2 or 3 precincts. Voters are encouraged to confirm their precinct number to reduce waiting times at the polls.

Maintain a safe, six-foot distance from others and be aware of signage regarding safety. Election workers will sanitize surfaces regularly and will be wearing face coverings and working behind plexiglass barriers to ensure everyone's safety. Voters are encouraged to wear face coverings and masks will be available for those who need them. No one may wear or hold campaign shirts, buttons, hat, masks or anything else that mentions a candidate, political party or question on the ballot inside the polls.

Special Notice for voters at Town Hall: Due to construction, Precincts 7, 8 and 10 will enter from the parking lot on Academy Street. There is limited parking in the lot, so please consider parking nearby if you are able to do so. Any voter who asks for an accommodation will be able to leave the building the same way they came in (Academy Street). Poll workers have been briefed on this issue, and are happy to help.

The following are the key contested races that will be on the ballot for Arlington voters:

President/Vice President

• Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)
• Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) - Incumbent
• Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Libertarian)
• Howie Hawkins/Angela Walker (Green-Rainbow)

5th Congressional District

• (i) U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D)
• Caroline Colarusso (R)

U.S. Senate

• (i) Edward Markey (D)
• Kevin O'Connor (R)

Ballot Questions

Question 1: "Right To Repair" Vehicle Access Requirement Initiative

Yes: A yes vote would require carmakers to expand access to mechanical data for all cars sold in Massachusetts beginning with model year 2022.
No: A no vote leaves the 2013 right-to-repair law unchanged.

Question 2: Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative

Yes: A yes vote favors adopting a system gives voters the option of ranking candidates on their ballot in order of preference, as opposed to selecting just one. And if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, the candidate with the least first-choice votes is eliminated, and the voters who preferred that candidate have their votes reallocated based on their second choices. Then the ballots are recounted and the process is repeated until one candidate breaks the 50 percent threshold.
No: A no vote keeps the current system in place.