Election 2020: Swampscott Voter Guide

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Voters in Swampscott 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.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 24. 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

Vote-by-mail applications must be received by the Beverly city clerk by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Ballots can be returned by mail, emailed, faxed or returned by hand to the town clerk's office. They can also be returned at the drop boxes located at Town Hall.

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

Early Voting

Voters have the option of early, in-person voting at Swampscott Town Hall at times that can be found here from Oct. 17 to 30.

Voting on Election Day Polls in Massachusetts are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can also use the Secretary of State's website to find your polling place.

For questions about voting in Swampscott, contact the Swampscott Town Clerk's Office.

Key Races

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

President/Vice President
Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (Democrat)

Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican) — Incumbent

U.S. Congress
House District 6

Seth Moulton (Democrat) — Incumbent

John Paul Moran (Republican)

Matthew Mixon (Independent)

U.S. Senate

Edward Markey (Democrat) - Incumbent

Kevin O'Connor (Republican)

Andre Gray (Green)

Frederick Mayock (independent)

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.

This article originally appeared on the Swampscott Patch