Election 2020: Natick Voters Guide

NATICK — The 2020 election is shaping up to be one of the biggest in recent U.S. history, and voting is underway right now.

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 will be different this year thanks to rules approved to expand early and mail-in voting in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 24. You can check your voting status on the Secretary of State's website, where you can also find your polling place.

There are several ways residents can vote:

Mail-In Voting

Vote-by-mail applications must be received by the town clerk by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Ballots can be returned by mail, emailed, faxed or returned by hand to the clerk’s office. They can also be returned at the drop box at the front entrance to town 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

Voters have the option of early, in-person voting multiple locations over the next two weeks. See the full schedule here.

Regular voting

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.

The following are the key contested races that will be on the ballot for Natick voters:

President/Vice President

Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) - Incumbent

5th Congressional District

(i) U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D)
Caroline Colarusso (R)

U.S. Senate

(i) Edward Markey (D)
Kevin O'Connor (R)
Andre Gray (Green)
Frederick Mayock (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.

Massachusetts State Senate

Norfolk Bristol and Middlesex District (precincts 6,7,9 and 10)

• (i) Rebecca Rausch (D)
• Matthew Kelly (R)

Second Middlesex and Norfolk District (precincts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8)

• (i) Karen Spilka (D)

Massachusetts House of Representatives

5th Middlesex District

• (i) David Linsky (D)