Voting In Melrose: Everything You Need To Know

MELROSE, MA — Voters in Melrose will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the 2020 general election.

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. Voting will be different this year thanks to rules approved to expand early and mail-in voting in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

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

Ballots can be returned by mail, emailed, faxed or returned by hand. They can also be returned at the drop box located in between City Hall and the post office off Essex Street.

Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by Nov. 3 and returned to the local election office no later than Nov. 6.

Voting on Election Day

Polls in Massachusetts are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. All in-person Election Day voting in Melrose will take place at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School gym. The entrance will be at the back parking lot — near 90 Melrose St. Voters will line up according to their wards and precincts, which you can find here.

For questions about voting in Melrose, call the city clerk's office at 781-979-4116.

Key Races

The following are key races that will be on the ballot for Melrose voters:

President/Vice President

Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) - Incumbent
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Green)
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Libertarian)

Congress

U.S. House District 5

Katherine Clark (Democrat) - Incumbent
Caroline Colarusso (Republican)

U.S. Senate

Edward Markey (Democrat) - Incumbent
Kevin O'Connor (Republican)

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 House of Representatives 32nd Suffolk District

Kate Lipper-Garabedian (Democrat) - Incumbent

Massachusetts State Senate 5th Middlesex District

Jason Lewis (Democrat) - Incumbent

Massachusetts Governor's Council District 6

Terrence Kennedy (Democrat) - Incumben