Boston Voter's Guide: 2016 State, Presidential Election

BOSTON, MA – This election day, you have a lot of decisions to make: a Boston-area congressman, five ballot initiatives and, oh yeah, the next President of the United States.

But it's no big deal. You handle the big decisions about who to vote for, and we'll give you everything you need to get into the voting booth.

What's on the ballot:

• Voters in certain precincts will be asked to decided between sitting Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch, Boston, and his Quincy challenger, Republican Bill Burke.
• There are four questions on the ballot this year: Slot licenses, charter schools, livestock conditions, and recreational marijuana. Read our rundown on the ballot questions here.
• There is also one local question on the Boston ballot. Question 5 would raise property taxes to help pay for affordable housing, parks, historic preservation and more. Per The Boston Globe, a "yes" on the ballot initiative would add a 1 percent surcharge to property taxes, coming to about $24 per taxpayer per year. Most of the money would come from commercial real estate. You can read more here.

You can additionally find your local ballot in full here.

When to vote

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. If you make the line by 8 p.m., you're allowed to vote. Additionally, some people chose to take part in Massachusetts' first series of early voting, which ended Nov. 4.

Where to go

Enter your address in this website to learn where your polling place is located.

Check back with Patch on Nov. 8 for more election coverage and live results.

What to bring

That depends. You will need to show official identification to a poll worker if it's your first time voting in Massachusetts or your registration status is inactive because you haven’t voted lately. You can check your voter registration status here.

Absentee Information

Voters who requested a ballot by mail must have their marked ballot returned to the Boston Election Department in room 241 either by mail or in person before 8 p.m. on November 8. Ballots that are not in by 8 p.m. will not be counted.

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