Voting In Waltham: Polls Open

WALTHAM, MA — The polls opened in Waltham for the 2020 general election at 7 a.m.

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

You can check your voting status on the Secretary of State's website, where you can also find your polling place.

Although early voting has ended, you can still return your mail-in ballots by mail or by hand at city hall.

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

Voting on Election Day
Polls in Massachusetts are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can also use the Secretary of State's website to find your polling place, and your ward and precinct.
Most polling locations in Waltham are the same as they were last go round, but always check before you go.
The full list of polling places:

Ward 1:

• Precinct 1 - Plympton School, 20 Farnsworth St.
• Precinct 2 - Waltham High School, 617 Lexington St..

Ward 2:

• Precinct 1 - Kennedy Middle School, 655 Lexington St.
• Precinct 2 -Kennedy Middle School, 655 Lexington St.

Ward 3:

• Precinct 1 - MacArthur Elementary, 494 Lincoln and Lake Streets
• Precinct 2 - Northeast Elementary, 70 Putney Lane, off Warwick Ave.

Ward 4:

• Precinct 1 - Fitzgerald Elementary, 140 Beal Rd.
• Precinct 2 - Fitzgerald Elementary, 140 Beal Rd.

Ward 5:

• Precinct 1 - Rosario "Russ" Malone Archives and Record Center, 260 Grove St.
• Precinct 2 - Rosario "Russ" Malone Archives and Record Center, 260 Grove St.

Ward 6:

• Precinct 1 - Charles A Lawless Housing, 110 Pond St.
• Precinct 2 -Government Center, 119 School St.

Ward 7:

• Precinct 1 - Nathaniel At Banks Square Condominiums, 948 Main St.
• Precinct 2 - Nathaniel At Banks Square Condominiums, 948 Main St.

Ward 8:

• Precinct 1 -Whalen Housing, 84 Orange St.
• Precinct 2 - Waltham Community and Cultural Center, 510 Moody St.

Ward 9:

• Precinct 1 - Arthur J. Clark Housing, 48 Pine St.
• Precinct 2 - Cutter Street Polling Booth, 8 Cutter St.

For questions about voting in Waltham, contact: cityclerks@city.waltham.ma.us.
Key Races
The following are the key contested races that will be on the ballot for Waltham voters:

President/Vice President
Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) - Incumbent
Congress:
U.S. Senate
Edward Markey (Democrat) - Incumbent
Kevin O'Connor (Republican)
Andre Gray (Green)
Frederick Mayock (independent)
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.

Representative MA 5th District

• Katherine Clark (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
• Caroline Colarusso (Republican Party)

Representative in General Court 9th Middlesex District
Both are Waltham City Councilors)

• Thomas Stanley (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
• George Darcy III (Unenrolled)

Running unopposed:

Senator in General Court, 3rd Middlesex: Lori Trahan (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
Representative In General Court, 10th Middlesex, John Lawn

Register of Probate Middlesex County Tara DeChristofaro

If you requested and were sent a mail-in ballot, here's what to know:
Mail-In Voting
Check with the secretary of the commonwealth's ballot tracker to see the status of your ballot. Ballots can be returned by mail or returned by hand to the clerk's office. They can also be returned at the drop boxes at city hall. Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by Nov. 3 and returned to the local election office no later than Nov. 6.
Early Voting
Early voting ran from Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 30. It's now over.