Voting In Reading: Polls Open

READING, MA — Election Day is here in Reading, 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, faxed or returned by hand to the clerk's office. They can also be returned to the town business mailbox in the Town Hall parking lot, 16 Lowell St.

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

Regular voting

Polls in Massachusetts are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voting is done in Reading at Reading Memorial High School, 62 Oakland Rd. You can also use the Secretary of State's website to find your polling place.

The following are the key contested races that will be on the ballot for Reading 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)

6th Congressional District

• (i) U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D)
• John Paul Moran (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.