Election 2020: Worcester Voters Guide

WORCESTER — One of the most anticipated elections in decades is on right now.

With the coronavirus pandemic still looming, voters in Worcester and across Massachusetts are heading to the polls during early voting. Many more are completing ballots at home and mailing them in.

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. Worcester voters won't see any contested races at the local level, but U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern is facing a challenge from Tracy Lovvorn — her second attempt to unseat the well-known Democrat.

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 city 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 boxes located at City Hall and the Worcester Fire Department headquarters,

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 Worcester voters:

President/Vice President

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

2nd Congressional District

(i) U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D)
Tracy Lovvorn (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

Middlesex and Worcester District

• James Eldridge (D)

1st Worcester District

• Harriette Chandler (D)

2nd Worcester District

• Michael Moore (D)

Massachusetts House of Representatives

13th Worcester District

• John Mahoney (D)

14th Worcester District

• James O'Day (D)

15th Worcester District

• Mary Keefe (D)

16th Worcester District

• Daniel Donahue (D)

17th Worcester District

• David LeBoeuf (D)