More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Voters and candidate supporters began the early in-person voting process on Saturday at the Tolles Parsons Center on Washington Street. More details on upcoming voting days and hours.
Thanks to Cimarron Buser, who was working the polls, for sharing photos of socially distanced sign holders. “Lots of folks with signs – including a few candidates!” he says.
More: Vote 2020
This Wellesley Election 2020 post is sponsored by the Colette Aufranc Campaign — Colette Aufranc, candidate for the Board of Selectmen. Where experience meets trusted leadership.
Early in-person voting that will count for the Sept. 1 election begins in Wellesley on Saturday, August 22 and runs through Friday, August 28 at the Tolles Parsons Center/Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street. Voters are asked to wear masks indoors.
The last day to register to vote in the September 1, 2020 Election is Saturday August 22 by 8pm. Residents may register to vote online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/
Voter registration will also be held at Town Hall on Saturday, August 22, 2pm – 4pm or 7pm – 8pm. As Town Hall is closed to the public for regular business, individuals wishing to register should call 781-431-1019, ext. 2258 when outside the Town Hall entrance that faces the Wellesley Free Library.
The 2020 Presidential Primary Election is on Tuesday, March 3.
Residents will be voting for the candidates of political parties as listed on the warrant.
Wellesley is offering early voting for residents from Monday, Feb. 24 through Friday, Feb. 28 at the following times and locations:
| Date |
Warren Building 90 Washington Street |
Extended Hours and Locations |
| Feb 24 |
8:00 am-5:00 pm |
———– |
| Feb 25 |
8:00 am-5:00 pm |
5:30 pm-8:00 pm at Waterstone, 27 Washington Street |
| Feb 26 |
8:00 am-5:00 pm |
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Town Hall 525 Washington Street |
| Feb 27 |
8:00 am-5:00 pm |
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Town Hall, 525 Washington Street |
| Feb 28 |
8:00 am-5:00 pm |
———– |
Residents who are not in Wellesley on March 3, and especially college students who are temporarily living out of Town, may vote absentee.
Absentee ballots are available at Town Hall or by mail at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee/English-Absentee-Ballot-Application.pdf
Visit the Town Clerk webpages for more information on voting and elections.
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Wellesley’s Town Government election takes place on Tuesday, March 5, and there is an upcoming voter registration event for Wellesley High School students, and a couple of meetings at which voters can meet the candidates and ask questions.
On Tuesday, February 5, the League of Women Voters of Wellesley will be registering and pre-registering new voters in the Wellesley High School Cafeteria, 10:45am – 12:30pm. Students will need to provide their driver’s license number or last 4 digits of their Social Security Number. All 17 year-olds and some 16 year-olds will be eligible to vote in the next presidential election on November 3, 2020. Don’t miss the opportunity to register now.
The Wellesley Democratic Town Committee has invited all Town-Wide candidates to take place in a Questions and Answer session on Thursday, February 7th, 8pm at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington Street. The Q & A is open to all, as is a 7pm voter registration postcard event and the business meeting before the Q & A.
Here’s how to become an associate member of the Wellesley Democratic Town Committee.
Hear from the candidates at Sustainable Wellesley’s 2019 Evening With the Candidates & Community Dinner on Sunday, February 10, 5:30pm – 7:30pm, 161 Oakland Street, in artist loft above garage. RSVP here.
The League of Women Voters of Wellesley will hold a Meet the Candidates Night on Thursday, February 28, 6:30 – 9pm in the Wakelin Room of the Wellesley Free Library. The Meet & Greet reception will start at 6:30pm, followed by a brief ceremony to honor retired elected officials. The Candidates Forum will begin promptly at 7pm.
The League invites voters to submit questions for candidates in advance at [email protected] or in writing at the event. A League panel will review questions for universal interest, lack of bias, clarity, brevity, and for each office, applicability to all candidates and relevance to issues or qualifications for each office.
The offices on the ballot and candidates can be viewed on the Town Clerk’s website https://www.
Precincts A, F and G need additional candidates to fill open seats for Town Meeting. In addition, the Recreation Commission has an open seat for a one-year position.
To be elected, a write-in candidate must win the election, and the number of write-in votes must equal the number of signatures required on nomination papers. Recreation Commission requires 50 votes town wide and Town Meeting requires 10 votes in an individual precinct. For more information contact the Town Clerk at [email protected].
MORE:
The race is on: 2019 Wellesley Town Election
Two software companies will demonstrate on Tuesday, January 22 how an electronic voting system could work for Wellesley Town Meeting. The demo, organized by The Committee on Electronic Voting, will allow Wellesley residents to ask questions about why the Committee and the software companies say electronic voting can provide improved transparency at Town Meeting.
The topic of electronic voting has been kicking around since 2013, when it first appeared on the Special Town Meeting warrant. Since then, Committee members have been working out the details such as surveying Town Meeting members on their thoughts about an electronic voting system; reviewing interviews from other towns that use electronic voting for their Town Meetings; ironing out potential bylaw language; interviewing tech companies; and working on how to present the idea to the Board of Selectmen, Town Meeting, and residents.
Contact chair Pete Jones at [email protected] with questions or comments. For those unable to attend either presentation, Wellesley Media will record both meetings.
Wellesley (and other places) votes in the State Election on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
Polling places are open 7am – 8pm. Voters in line by 8pm will be allowed to vote. Here’s where to vote in Wellesley…
Precinct A: Bates School- Cafeteria, 116 Elmwood Road
Precinct B: Sprague School- Gym, 401 School Street
Precinct C: Upham School- Gym, 35 Wynnewood Road
Precinct D: Schofield School- Gym, 27 Cedar Street
Precinct E: Fiske School- Gym, 45 Hastings Street
Precinct F: Dana Hall School, Shipley Center, 142 Grove Street
Precinct G: Wellesley Free Library- Wakelin Room, 530 Washington Street (enter from rear parking lot)
Precinct H: Tolles Parsons Center, 500 Washington St.
Mass.gov has a nifty page where you can plug in your address and it will tell you where to vote.
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
Elizabeth Warren, Democratic
Geoff Diehl, Republican
Shiva Ayyadurai, Independent
GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito, Republican
Jay Gonzales and Quentin Palfrey, Democratic
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Maura Healey, Democratic
James McMahon, Republican
SECRETARY OF STATE
William Galvin, Democratic
Anthony Amore, Republican
Juan Sanchez, Jr., Green-Rainbow
TREASURER
Deborah Goldberg, Democratic
Keiko Orrall, Republican
Jamie Guerin, Green-Rainbow
AUDITOR
Suzanne Bump, Democratic
Helen Brady, Republican
Daniel Fishman, Libertarian
Edward Stamas, Green-Rainbow
STATE SENATE, Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
Richard Ross, Republican
Rebeccca Rausch, Democratic
This proposed law would limit how many patients could be assigned to each registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals and certain other health care facilities. The maximum number of patients per registered nurse would vary by type of unit and level of care. Here is the question in its entirety.
A YES vote on Question 1 would limit the number of patients that could be assigned to one registered nurse in hospitals and certain other health care facilities.
A NO vote on Question 1 would make no change in current laws relative to patient-to-nurse limits.
This proposed law would create a citizens commission to consider and recommend potential amendments to the United States Constitution to establish that corporations do not have the same Constitutional rights as human beings and that campaign contributions and expenditures may be regulated.
Any resident of Massachusetts who is a United States citizen would be able to apply for appointment to the 15-member commission, and members would serve without compensation. The Governor, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the state Attorney General, the Speaker of the state House of Representatives, and the President of the state Senate would each appoint three members of the commission and, in making these appointments, would seek to ensure that the commission reflects a range of geographic, political, and demographic backgrounds. Here is the question in its entirety.
A YES vote would create a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the United States Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings.
A NO vote would not create this commission.
This law adds gender identity to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in places of public accommodation, resort, or amusement. Such grounds also include race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, disability, and ancestry. A “place of public accommodation, resort or amusement” is defined in existing law as any place that is open to and accepts or solicits the patronage of the general public, such as hotels, stores, restaurants, theaters, sports facilities, and hospitals. “Gender identity” is defined as a person’s sincerely held gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior, whether or not it is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s physiology or assigned sex at birth. Here is the question in its entirety.
A YES vote would keep in place the current law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation.
A NO vote would repeal the provision of the public accommodation law.
