2014 Election: The Wellesley Ballot and Voting Information

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Wellesley will not only cast votes for governor and attorney general, but its state senator and representative in the Massachusetts Governor’s Council.

The following is voting information as supplied by the town clerk’s office:

Precinct A: Bates School- Cafeteria, 116 Elmwood Road

Precinct B: Sprague School- Gym, 401 School St.

Precinct C: Upham School- Gym, 35 Wynnewood Road

Precinct D: Schofield School- Gym, 27 Cedar St.

Precinct E: Fiske School- Gym, 45 Hastings St.

Precinct F: Dana Hall – Shipley Center, 142 Grove St.

Precinct G: Wellesley Free Library- Wakelin Room, 530 Washington St. (enter from Rear Parking Lot)

Precinct H: Wellesley High School Band Room, 50 Rice St. (Enter at east wing of building)

Polling places will open at 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m. Voters actually in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Absentee Voting - Voters who are not in Wellesley during polling hours or are physically unable to go to polls may vote absentee. In person absentee voting will continue until NOON on Monday, Nov. 3. Requests that must be mailed to voters can be accepted by the town clerk, but mailing time will likely prohibit any reasonable chance to mail out ballots after 5 pm on Friday October 31. All absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk’s Office on or before Nov. 4 at 8pm. Absentees are counted at the polling places on the day of the election.

Election Day - Parking and traffic - Most polling places are at schools. Parking may be limited during the school day. Students will arrive 8-8:30 am and dismissal is between 2:30 – 3:00 pm. Voters are requested to avoid these times if possible.

Ballots- The ballot is two sided with multiple offices and questions. Voters are asked to review sample ballots prior to entering the polling place to facilitate efficient voting once the ballot is issued.

Voting procedure- Most polling places will have two lines for check-in of voters. Voter lists are arranged alphabetically by street name. Voters should check signs at the entrance to the polling place to find the correct line based on your street address. Voters will check in at the table by stating your street number, house number then name. The Inspector will repeat your address and name aloud and then issue the ballot. If you are listed as “inactive” you will need to show current proof of continued residency in Wellesley. If you registered by mail and have not yet voted in Massachusetts you will need identification. All other voters will be issued ballots without further identification.

After check-in, voter will proceed to ballot marking booths. Voter should use the ballot marking pen to connect the arrows next to the candidate or question of your choice. Voters may choose to vote for the offices and questions or leave any office blank. After marking the ballot voter should proceed to checkout table before depositing ballot in tabulation machine. If voter makes an error in marking the ballot, voter may have up to three replacements.

Ballot Questions
Wellesley has 4 ballot questions.
Q1 Eliminate Gas Tax indexing
Q2 Expand Beverage Container Deposit Law
Q3 Expand prohibitions on gaming (repeal of portions of the casino gaming law)
Q4 Earned sick time for employees

Offices- Several offices on the ballot are uncontested, voters may to choose to vote for the named candidate, skip the office completely or enter the name of a write-in candidate. The town clerk is not aware of any candidates who are running a write-in campaign for this election.

Senator in Congress
Statewide office elected for 6 year term to serve in United States Senate

Edward J. Markey, Democrat
Brian J Herr, Republican

Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Statewide constitutional officers, elected for four year term.

Baker and Polito, Republican
Coakley and Kerrigan, Democrat
Falchuk and Jennings, United Independent Party
Lively and Saunders, Independent
McCormick and Post, Independent

Attorney General
Statewide Constitutional officer, elected for a four year term.

Maura Healey, Democrat
John B Miller, Republican

Secretary of State
Statewide Constitutional officer, elected for a four year term.

William Francis Galvin, Democrat
David D’Arcangelo, Republican
Daniel L Factor, Green-Rainbow

Treasurer
Statewide Constitutional officer, elected for a four year term.

Deborah B Goldberg, Democrat
Michael J Heffernan, Republican
Ian T Jackson, Green-Rainbow

Auditor
Statewide Constitutional officer, elected for a four year term.

Suzanne M Bump, Democrat
Patricia S Saint Auburn, Republican
MK Merelice, Green Rainbow

Representative in Congress-
Wellesley is in the Fourth Congressional District for Massachusetts. A Representative is elected for two year term.

Joseph P Kennedy III, Democrat
Unopposed on Ballot

Councillor –

The Massachusetts Governor’s Council, also known as the Executive Council, is composed of eight individuals elected from districts statewide, and the Lt. Governor who serves ex officio. The eight councillors are elected from their respective districts every two years.

The Council generally meets to act on such issues as payments from the state treasury, criminal pardons and commutations, and approval of gubernatorial appointments; such as judges, notaries and justices of the peace.

Wellesley is divided into two councilor districts.

Precincts B, F, and G are in the Second Councillor District.

Robert L Jubinville, Democrat
Unopposed on Ballot

Precincts A, C, D, and E are in the Third Councillor District.

Marilyn Petitto Devaney, Democrat
Thomas Sheff, Independent

Senator in General Court
State Senator, elected for two year term.

Wellesley is divided into two Senate districts.
Precincts B, F, and G are in the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district.

Richard Ross, Republican
Dylan Hayre, Democrat

Precincts A, C, D, and E are in the First Middlesex and Norfolk district.

Cynthia Stone Creem, Democrat
Unopposed on ballot

Representative in General Court-
State Representative- elected for two year term.

Wellesley is in the 14th Norfolk District along with Weston and parts of Natick.

Alice H Peisch, Democrat
Unopposed on ballot

District Attorney- Norfolk District
The District attorney is elected for a four year term.
The District Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer for the Norfolk District. This office is responsible for the prosecution of criminal offenses that occur within the District. These cases involve homicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, robbery, drug sales and possession, fraud, theft, driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, and many other offenses.

Michael W Morrissey, Democrat
Unopposed on ballot

Register of Probate- Norfolk County
The Register is elected for a Six year term.
The Register of Probate is the chief administrative officer for the Probate and Family Court for Norfolk County.
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction over probate matters such as wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships. The Court also has jurisdiction over family-related matters such as divorce, support, paternity establishment, family abuse protection, elderly abuse protection, disabled person’s abuse protection, custody and adoption.

Patrick W McDermott, Democrat
Unopposed on ballot

County Treasurer- Norfolk County
The County Treasurer is an elected official serving a six-year term
The County Treasurer is responsible for the collection, custody and management all money belonging to the County government, and disbursement of those funds according to law. The Treasurer is responsible for keeping financial records, including bills, vouchers, and documentation of borrowings and debt, to be accessible for future reference.

Joseph A Connolly, Democrat
Unopposed on the ballot

County Commissioner – Norfolk County

The executive authority of Norfolk County is vested in County Commissioners. The three Commissioners are elected for a four-year term with only one permitted from any one city or town. County revenues are derived from the Registry of Deeds, a tax on the cities and towns of Norfolk County based on their land values, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and various grants.

Norfolk County presently provides the following services and governmental functions:
o Superior, Probate and Trial Courthouses
o Norfolk County Agricultural High School
o Some Statutory Jurisdiction over Roads
o Wollaston Recreational Facility
o Registry of Deeds
o Sheriff’s Department
o Engineering Services for Communities
o Appellate Tax Jurisdiction
o Human Services
o Land Conservation & Open Space Management

Peter H Collins, Democrat
Michael J Soter, Republican