When:
Election Day is on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This year, election day is on Tuesday, November 6th.
How and Where:
If you live close enough to vote in the town you are registered in, it is very simple. Voting occurs in various locations depending on the town. Voting is held in libraries, town halls, or schools. This information should be easily accessible on your town’s website. In North Andover, voting will be held at North Andover High School from 7 A.M. to 8 P.M.
If you are cannot vote in the town or city in which you are registered to vote, you must vote via an absentee ballot. Here are the steps:
Register to Vote (if you are registered, you can skip this step.)
If you’re not out of state, you can register to vote at https://register.rockthevote.com/registrants/new?partner=39 – Fill it out, print it, and mail it into the address printed on the form by October 17, 2012.
If you’re out of state, you can register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot at the same time using this link. Mail it into your local election official. http://www.longdistancevoter.org/files/voter_forms/Massachusetts_absente…
Verify your voter registration
Call your town office and double check that you are, in fact, registered to vote. This is particularly important if you have mailed in an absentee ballot.
Make sure you are eligible to vote absentee. You are qualified if:
you will be absent from your city or town on election day, and/or
you have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place, and/or
you cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs
you are confined in a correctional facility or jail, but not have a felony charge
Apply for your absentee ballot
Download and complete the application: http://www.longdistancevoter.org/files/voter_forms/Massachusetts_absente…
Mail it into the “Local Election Official” in your home city or town hall by October 17, 2012.
They will mail your ballot to you.
Or, have your parent do it for you here: http://www.longdistancevoter.org/files/voter_forms/Massachusetts_absente…
Receive, complete, and return your ballot back to the address on the return envelope. It must be received before polls close on November 6th.
For What?
The ballot varies from state to state. Each includes a selection for President, Vice President, Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, Councilor, along with 7-8 other offices.
The Massachusetts Ballot includes three special questions this year.
Question 1: ‘Right to Repair’ This proposed law would prohibit any motor vehicle manufacturer, starting with model year 2015, from selling or leasing, either directly or through a dealer, a new motor vehicle without allowing the owner to have access to the same diagnostic and repair information made available to the manufacturer’s dealers and in-state authorized repair facilities.
A ‘Yes’ vote will make it easier and less expensive for car owners to get repairs on new cars wherever they want, not just at a dealership. It’s your car, you paid for it, you should get it fixed where you want.
A ‘No’ vote would make no change to existing laws. Opponents argue that the current system works fine, and that repair information is already available for purchase. Furthermore, if vehicle repair information is made public, it may be easier for criminals to break into cars, because they will know more information about every car.
Question 2: Prescribing Medication to End Life: This proposed law would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient’s request, to end that patient’s life. This option would only be available to adults who are mentally capable of making a decision of this nature, have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that will within reasonable medical judgment cause death within 6 months, and voluntarily express a wish to die.
A ‘Yes’ vote will enact the proposed law allowing a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at the request of a terminally-ill patient meeting certain conditions, to end that person’s life. Supporters argue everyone should have this right to choose, it will allow terminally ill patients to die in the comfort of their home peacefully and aware as opposed to in a worse state.
A ‘No’ vote will make no change to current law. Opponents argue that life expectancy estimates are often wrong, that the question is worded awkwardly, and that the qualifications would need to be revised.
Question 3: The Medical Use of Marijuana: This proposed law would eliminate state criminal and civil penalties for the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients. To qualify, a patient must have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, and the patient would also have to obtain a written certification, from a physician.
A ‘Yes’ Vote would eliminate criminal and civil penalties for the use of medical marijuana when used as directed. Supporters argue that this law would ease the pain of thousands suffering in Massachusetts, and that many patients have endorsed this proposal. They argue there is scientific evidence supporting the claim that marijuana is useful in clinical applications, and will lessen the need for more dangerous narcotics such as morphine.
A ‘No’ Vote would make no change to existing law. Opponents argue that while they are sympathetic to those in pain, there are too many loop holes in this law that would make criminal behavior easy. They also claim that less that 1% of the population are actually in need of medical marijuana.