The campaign trail for 2024 has had more twists and turns than the Appalachian Trail, but it’s nearly over, now.
In much of the country, including Massachusetts, as early voting has been going on for nearly three weeks – Bay Staters were able to cast early votes by mail, in-person or via absentee ballot since Oct. 19. After early voting concludes on Friday, Nov. 1.
Those who prefer the traditional route, in-person voting on Election day is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Tuesday, Nov. 5. Whitman voters from all precincts vote in Whitman’s Town Hall Auditorium at 54 South Ave., and Hanson voters from all precincts cast their ballots for all precincts at Hanson Middle School, 111 Liberty St.
Because Hanson voting is done at a school, the School Committee voted to permit the closure of schools for the day.
Voter parking
Parking is plentiful at Hanson Middle School, but the smaller parking lot at Whitman Town Hall has nesessitated moving employee parking off-site.
The Select Board approved the arrangement at its Tuesday, Oct. 22 meeting.
Whitman had a policy in place, adopted in May 2019, for the following parking plan: requiring that parking for Town Hall staff to be limited to beyond a 180-foot perimeter of Town Hall so that voters could use the spaces for 30-minute parking for voting. In addition, during federal elections, election workers were required to park at the Senior Center, 16 Hayden Ave., and at Memorial Field, 20 Essex St., with the Senior Center providing bus transportation and employees would be restricted from parking at those sites as well as at Town Hall.
Any exceptions to that policy would have required a prior vote in advance of the election by the Select Board.
“The Town Clerk [Dawn Varley] had spoken with the Mary Holland, the Council on Aging director,” Carter said. “Dawn had said that she didn’t have election workers that needed the bus this year, so we would like to do away with this [2019] policy and instead do what we’ve done before.”
She suggested going back to sending a memo to Town Hall staff outling the parking rules.
“In order to improve voter access to the Town Hall during the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election, Parking in the Town Hall parking lot, for the duration of the election is restricted to those coming to the Town Hall to vote,” Carter read. “All employees, elected and appointed [are required] to park off site for the entire day.”
She said the municipal parking lot across the street, the municipal lot behind Duval’s and on-street parking outside the 180-foot buffer would be allowed.
The Select Board approved the suggestion.
Varley reported Monday that, as of Saturday, Oct. 26 Whitman residents had cast 2,389 in-person early votes and there were more than 900 absentee ballots not yet returned. There are 11,000 registered voters in Whitmn.
Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said 677 of the town’s 8,477 eligible voters had already voted in-person in Town Hall and there were 1,000 absentee ballots sent out.
On the ballot
Electors of the President and Vice President of the United States;
- Ayyadurai and Ellis (Independent);
•De la Cruz and Garcia (Socialism and Liberation); - Harris and Walz (Democratic);
- Oliver and Ter Maat (Libertarian);
- Stein and Caballero-Roca (Green) and
- Trump and Vance (Republican) appear on all ballots as does Senator in Congress. Refer to your town’s ballot for the order in which they appear.:
Senator in Congress. - Elizabeth Warren (Democratic) and
- John Deaton (Republican.
Whitman and Hanson also vote between the same candidates for county-wide offices
Register of Deeds for the Plymouth District; - John R. Buckly (Democratic) running unopposed.
Clerk of Courts for Plymouth County; - Robert S. Creedon Jr., (Democratic) running unopposed.
County Commissioner for Plymouth County; Voting for TWO - Gregory M. Hanley (Democratic);
• Jared L. Valanzola (Republican); - Rhonda L. Nyman (Democratic);
Anthony T. O’Brien Sr. (Republican).
In Hanson there are two ballots as the town’s state representative districts differ, but all other offices and ballot questions are the same.
Governor’s Councilor, 2nd Distirict; - Tamisha Civil (Democratic)
- Francis T. Crimmins Jr. (Republican)
Senator in General Court — 2nd Plymouth and Norfolk also appears on both town’s ballots; - Michael D. Brady (Democratic) running unopposed.
The town’s Congressional race also differs from Whitman — Representative in Congress — 8th District; - Stephen F. Lynch (Democratic);
- Robert G. Burke (Republican)
Representative in Congress — 9th District; - Bill Keating (Democratic)
- Dan Sullivan (Republicsn)
Representative in General Court — 5th Plymouth District: - David F. LaCoste (Republican) running unopposed,
Representative in General Court — 6th Plymouth District: - Rebecca W. Coletta (Democratic)
- Kenneth P. Sweezey (Republican)
Whitman’s state representative, like Hansons’s 5th Plymouth is also an uncontested race.
Representative in General Court — 7th Plymouth District:
Alyson M. Sullian-Almeida (Republican) running unopposed.
Ballot questions include; - Question 1 – Initiative petition to specify that the state Auditor has the authority to audit the Legislature.
A YES vote would specify that authority.
A NO vote would make no change relative to the state Auditor’s authority. - Question 2 – Initiative petition to eliminate the requirement that students pass the MCAS exam to graduate high school.
A YES vote would eliminate the requirement, but would still require students to complete course work to meet state education standards.
A NO vote would make no change in the graduation requirements. - Question 3 – Initiative petition on unionization for transportation network drivers.
A YES vote would provide transportation network drivers the option to form unions to collectively with transportation network companies regarding wages, benefits and terms and conditions of work.
A NO vote would make no changes in the law relative to the drivers’ ability to unionize.
Question 4 – Initiative petition relative to the limited legalization and regulation of certain natural psychedelic substances.
A YES vote would allow persons over age 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision, grow limited quantities in their home and create a commission to regulate the substances.
A NO vote would make no changes in the law.
Question 5 – Initiative petition establishing a minimum wage for tipped workers.
A YES vote would gradually increase the minimum wage an employer must play a tipped worker over the course of five years at which point employers could pool all tips and distribute them among non-management workers.
A NO vote would make no changes in the law.
The full text of the questions as well as detailed arguments on either side of each issue can be found in the “Massachusetts Information for Voters – 2024 Ballot Questions – State Election,” published by Secretary of State William F. Galvin and mailed to registered voters or online at VoteInMA.com.