WORCESTER, MA — Election Day is approaching, and Worcester voters will face a lengthy ballot with federal, statewide and local district races.
The Massachusetts state election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3. Worcester residents will vote for governor, U.S. senator, state legislators and other offices, along with nine statewide ballot questions. Here is what Worcester voters need to know before casting a ballot.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Worcester polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote, according to the Massachusetts Elections Division.
The voter registration deadline is Saturday, Oct. 24. Residents can register, update an address or check their registration through VoteInMA.
Election Day voters must use the polling location assigned to their home address. Worcester has dozens of voting precincts, so residents should confirm their location before heading out.
The Worcester Elections Office provides a polling-place lookup that also shows a voter's district, ward, precinct, registration status and party affiliation.
Early in-person voting will run from Saturday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 30 at the Worcester Public Library Main Branch, 3 Salem Square.
Voting will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays, when the site will remain open until 7 p.m. The full schedule is available through the city's election guide.
Registered Worcester voters may use the early-voting site regardless of their assigned Election Day polling location.
The deadline to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. Applications may be submitted online or sent to the Worcester Election Commission at City Hall, 455 Main St., Room 208.
Completed ballots may be returned by mail or placed in drop boxes at Worcester City Hall and the city's 10 fire stations. Ballots deposited in person must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Mailed ballots may arrive through Nov. 6 if they are postmarked by Nov. 3, according to the Worcester Elections Office.
Voters can also track a mail-in ballot online.
The following candidates will appear on Worcester ballots, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's certified 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 and House contests depend on the voter's address.
State Senate, 1st Worcester District: Robyn Kennedy (D).
State Senate, 2nd Worcester District: Michael O. Moore (D).
State Senate, Worcester And Hampshire District: Peter J. Durant (R); Shannon M. Teabo (D).
State House, 13th Worcester District: John J. Mahoney (D).
State House, 14th Worcester District: James J. O'Day (D).
State House, 15th Worcester District: Mary S. Keefe (D).
State House, 16th Worcester District: Daniel M. Donahue (D).
State House, 17th Worcester District: David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf (D).
Middle District Attorney: Joseph D. Early Jr. (D).
Worcester County Register Of Probate: Stephanie K. Fattman (R).
Voters can use the state's sample-ballot lookup to see exactly which district races will appear on their ballot.
Massachusetts voters will decide nine binding statewide questions, the most ever placed on a Massachusetts ballot, according to the official 2026 voter guide.
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 the taxes collected from sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf-course use. A no vote would leave those tax 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 features including 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 marijuana 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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