Braintree election guide: The candidates, night for candidates and how you can vote

BRAINTREE − Contests for school committee and a district town council seat will join the mayor's race on the Nov. 7 town election ballot.

The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the Braintree election has passed, and Town Clerk James Casey said all candidates have submitted enough certified signatures to qualify for the ballot.

In the mayor's race, former planning board Chair Erin Joyce is challenging incumbent Charles Kokoros, who is running for a second term. With just two candidates, there will be no preliminary election.

Four political newcomers are seeking three seats on the school committee. They are Joseph Fogarty, Rachel Horak, Christopher Peters and Justin Rollo.

Three school committee members − Kelly Cobb-Lemire, Thomas Devin and Karla Psaros − are not seeking reelection.

The lone contested town council seat is in District 6, where Peter Morin, a former Norwell town administrator and chief of staff to former Mayor Joseph Sullivan, is being challenged by Mark Doucette.

The current District 6 town councilor, Lawrence Mackin, is not seeking reelection.

In District 4, where Town Councilor Stephen O'Brien is stepping down, Annmary Quilty is running unopposed for the seat.

The seven town councilors seeking reelection are all running unopposed. They are Councilors-at-Large Shannon Hume, David Ringius and Charles Ryan; and Julia Flaherty in District 1, Joseph Reynolds in District 2, Elizabeth Maglio in District 3 and Meredith Boericke in District 5.

Other incumbents running unopposed are library trustees Laura Colpus, John Pelrose, Patricia Pilgrim and Ann Toland; light board member Anthony Agnitti; and housing authority commissioners Marta Googins and Matthew Sterling.

All offices are for four-year terms with the exception of town council seats, which are two-year terms.

Candidates night set for Oct. 12

The North Braintree Civic Association will sponsor a candidates night at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Cahill Auditorium of town hall for those seeking office in the town election. The public is invited to attend.

When is the voter registration deadline?

Braintree voters will have until Saturday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m. to register online for this year's election, which will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. The deadline for in-person registration is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27.

Can I vote early?

There will be no in-person early voting for this fall's town elections, Town Clerk James Casey said. Voters will still be able to cast early mail-in ballots. The town council in June accepted Casey's recommendation to allow the mail-in ballots. Under state law, local officials can opt out of mail-in ballots for municipal elections.

When are polls open for the 2023 election?

Polls will be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 7. A list of precincts and polling places can be found at braintreema.gov/432/Precinct-Map.

Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree election guide: Who's running and how you can vote