Here's What's on the 2016 Ballot in Boston

BOSTON, MA — Hey, Boston. Have you voted yet? No? Here's your reminder to get to it, and not just to stop Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump from reaching the White House.

Yes, there's the big-ticket presidential election, and yes many Boston elections were effectively decided during the primary. But there are also several important votes that will directly impact you and the rest of the Commonwealth.

Early Voting is already underway, and will keep going through Friday (Everything You Need to Know About Early Voting in Boston). You can also, as always, vote on Election Day itself, Nov. 8.

So, what are you waiting for?

Here's what to watch for on your Boston's local ballot:

Congress

Sitting Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch, Boston, is facing a challenge from Quincy Republican Bill Burke.

Statewide Ballot Questions

Do you care whether or not Massachusetts legalizes recreational marijuana? What about lifting the cap on the number of charter schools the state can license? Maybe animal welfare's your thing, and you want to ensure certain rules apply to the keeping of chickens and other livestock? Or, perhaps you have strong feels about gambling? If even one of these is true of you, then you're going to want to vote on Massachusetts' four statewide ballot questions for 2016.

Patch has the details on each of them, which you can read here.

Local Ballot Question

Last of all is Question 5, which focuses on the Community Preservation Act in Boston.

A quick explainer: the Community Preservation Act is designed to help the City of Boston meet its affordable housing needs; make and maintain parks/playgrounds/athletic fields; preserve land for recreation/conservation; and preserve/restore historic buildings and resources. You all know Boston's got plenty of those, which you as a resident almost undoubtedly directly benefit from.

Question 5 would raise property taxes to pay for all of the above. Per The Boston Globe, which endorsed this ballot initiative, a "yes" on the ballot initiative would add a 1 percent surcharge to resident and commercial property taxes, coming to about $24 per taxpayer per year, according to the city. Most of the money would come from commercial real estate. You can read more here.

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