Important dates
February 12 | Last day to register to vote or change party affiliation for Presidential primary election |
March 3 | Presidential primary election |
August 12 | Last day to to vote or change party affiliation for state primary election |
September 1 | |
October 17-30 | Early in-person voting for November general election |
October 24 | Last day to register to vote in the November general election |
October 28 | Last day to request an absentee ballot (DO IT NOW!!) |
November 3 | Election Day. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by midnight. |
State Ballot Questions
This year there will be only two questions on the ballot. As required by law, pros and cons for both are outlined in the "Red Book" published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and mailed to all registered voters in Massachusetts.
On Question 1, Right to Repair, though individual members may feel very strongly one way or the other, LWVA cannot take a stand, since advocacy must be based on an existing position of LWVMA or LWVUS.
Question 2 would enact ranked-choice voting for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional representatives, and certain county offices. LWVMA, and therefore all the Massachusetts Leagues, have supported Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), earlier called Instant Runoff, since the League's state study in 2005. Details of the League's position can be found here (PDF).
The LWV of Boston will offer an online forum on the ballot questions on October 19, 2020.
In RCV, voters rank candidates according to their preferences. Here are a couple of videos that explain RCV: How does ranked-choice voting work? (from Minneapolis, where RCV is already in use in municipal elections), and Yes on 2: Consensus Governing, from the Yes on 2 campaign in Massachusetts. Voter Choice MA is also a good source of information.