Voting In Stoneham: Everything You Need To Know

STONEHAM, MA — Election Day is almost here in Stoneham, 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 Town Clerk. If you'd rather not mail them back, voted ballots may be returned to the ballot drop box located at the side entrance to the Town Hall adjacent to the parking lot.

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 Stoneham in the Town Hall auditorium, 35 Central St. 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 Stoneham 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)

31st Middlesex District Representative

• (i) Michael Day (D)
• Elizabeth Harrah (I)

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.