SHREWSBURY, MA — Election Day is approaching and Shrewsbury voters will face a lengthy ballot with federal, statewide and local district races.
The Massachusetts state election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3. Residents will vote for governor, U.S. senator, state legislators and other offices, along with nine statewide ballot questions. Here is what Shrewsbury voters need to know.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
The registration deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Residents can register, update an address or check their status through VoteInMA.
Shrewsbury residents must vote at the location assigned to their precinct. The town lists the following Election Day polling locations:
Voters who are unsure of their precinct can use the state's polling-place lookup.
Early in-person voting will take place in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at Town Hall, 100 Maple Ave., from Saturday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 30.
The schedule is available on the Shrewsbury state election page.
Vote-by-mail and absentee applications must reach the Town Clerk's Office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Completed ballots may be mailed, delivered to the Town Clerk's Office or placed in the ballot drop box outside Town Hall. Hand-delivered ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots cannot be returned to polling locations.
Domestic ballots received through the mail will be counted if they are postmarked by Nov. 3 and reach the clerk by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day may arrive through Nov. 13, according to the town's election schedule.
Voters can track their ballots online.
The following candidates will appear on Shrewsbury ballots, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's candidate list.
U.S. Senate: Edward J. Markey (D); John Deaton (R); Shiva Ayyadurai (I); Joe Tache (Socialism and Liberation).
Governor And Lieutenant Governor: Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll (D); Michael Minogue and Shawn Oliver (R); Andrea James and Kayla Kittredge (I).
Attorney General: Andrea Joy Campbell (D); Michael C. Walsh (R).
Secretary Of The Commonwealth: William Francis Galvin (D); Anne R. Brensley (R).
State Treasurer: Deborah B. Goldberg (D); Elizabeth Dionne (R).
State Auditor: Diana DiZoglio (D); Al Ozonoff (Libertarian).
U.S. House, 2nd Congressional District: James P. McGovern (D).
Governor's Council, 7th District: Paul M. DePalo (D); Margaret M. Abboud (R).
State Senate, 2nd Worcester District: Michael O. Moore (D).
State House, 11th Worcester District: Hannah Elizabeth Kane (R).
Middle District Attorney: Joseph D. Early Jr. (D).
Worcester County Register Of Probate: Stephanie K. Fattman (R).
McGovern, Moore, Kane, Early and Fattman are running without listed opponents. Patch reported on Kane's nomination and campaign.
All Shrewsbury voters will decide nine binding statewide questions. The state's official ballot question guide includes the full proposals and arguments for and against each measure.
Question 1: Public Records. A yes vote would place most records held by the governor's office and Legislature under the state Public Records Law. A no vote would leave the current law unchanged.
Question 2: Public Defender Employees. A yes vote would specify that Committee for Public Counsel Services employees may unionize and collectively bargain. A no vote would leave the current labor law unchanged.
Question 3: State Primaries. A yes vote would replace party primaries for state offices with a single all-party primary, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election. A no vote would retain separate party primaries. Patch examined the proposal here.
Question 4: Election Day Registration. A yes vote would allow eligible residents to register or update their addresses at their polling places on Election Day beginning in 2028. A no vote would retain the advance registration deadline.
Question 5: State Revenue Limit. A yes vote would change the state revenue cap by linking it to the previous year's collections and average wage growth, with excess revenue returned to taxpayers. A no vote would leave the current system unchanged.
Question 6: Nature For All Fund. A yes vote would create a conservation fund supported by portions of taxes collected from sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf-course use. A no vote would leave those revenues allocated under current law.
Question 7: Single-Family Housing. A yes vote would generally allow single-family homes on residential lots of at least 5,000 square feet that meet frontage, water and sewer requirements. Municipalities could still regulate height, parking and setbacks. A no vote would make no change.
Question 8: Recreational Marijuana Sales. A yes vote would repeal the legal, regulated retail market for recreational marijuana while continuing to allow limited adult possession. A no vote would preserve the current law.
Question 9: Firearms Law. A yes vote would keep the state's 2024 firearms law in place, including provisions covering ghost guns, assault-style weapons and extreme-risk protection orders. A no vote would repeal the law. Read Patch's closer look at Question 9.
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