Voters to decide statewide races; Weston representatives unchallenged

Weston residents will join the rest of the country voting in the midterm elections on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Weston. Voters in precincts 1 and 2 will vote at Town Hall, 11 Town House Road, while voters in precincts 3 and 4 will vote at the Community Center, 20 Alphabet Lane. Residents who don’t know their precinct should visit the secretary of state’s website at sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/WhereDoIVote.

Town Clerk Janet Murphy is urging residents to be prepared when they go to vote and to be patient. With nine questions, voters will receive a two-page ballot, which she said will slow down both the voting and tabulating process.

Although many of Weston’s local races are uncontested, voters will consider numerous contested statewide positions.

For the U.S. Senate, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey is facing challenges from Republican John Deaton, who lost to Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024, as well as Shiva Ayyadurai, an independent candidate from Belmont, and Joe Tache, a Boston resident representing the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll are facing a challenge from Republicans Mike Minogue and candidate for lieutenant governor Shawn Oliver. Oliver suspended his campaign last week after being arrested on several charges on Oct. 17 for allegedly crashing his car in New Bedford while under the influence, according to the New Bedford Light. Independent candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, Andrea James and Kayla Kittredge, are also on the ballot.

Alongside the governor’s race, several other Democratic incumbents are being challenged this year. Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is facing a challenge from Republican Michael Walsh. Longtime Secretary of State William Galvin, who is seeking his ninth term, is running against Wayland Republican Anne Brensley. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg is being challenged by former Belmont Select Board member and Republican candidate Elizabeth Dionne. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is also facing an opponent, Libertarian candidate Al Ozonoff. 

Weston’s local representatives in the State House, Rep. Alice Peisch and Sen. Michael Barrett, are running uncontested, as is U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark. Governor’s councilor Mara Dolan and District Attorney Marian Ryan are also running uncontested. Middlesex County Register of Probate Tara DeCristofaro, however, is facing a challenge from Tara Martorella, who is running under the Justice for All Party.

In addition to the elected positions, there are a record-tying nine ballot questions, ranging from all-party primaries to the repealing of state laws.

Question 1 asks if the records held by the Legislature and the governor’s office should be public records under the state’s existing public records law. The proposed law exempts documents related to development of public policy and communications between legislators and constituents, if those records are related to a constituent’s request for assistance in obtaining government-provided benefits.

Question 2, if approved, would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services – commonly known as public defenders – to engage in collective bargaining as a union.

Question 3 would eliminate political party primaries and instead establish a single, all-party primary in which all candidates would participate. The two candidates receiving the most votes would advance to the general election ballot.

Question 4 asks voters if Massachusetts should allow same-day voter registration on Election Day. Currently, residents must register at least 10 days before an election to be eligible to vote.

Question 5 concerns how much revenue the state can collect in a given year. If approved, state revenue would be limited to the net amount of revenue from the previous year, increased by a rate equal to the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the three most recent years. If the state were to collect excess revenue, that amount would be refunded to taxpayers the following year.

Question 6 proposes a Nature for All Fund that would receive 50% of taxes collected from the sale and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses for its first year. After that year, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the fund could receive all taxes collected from those categories.

Question 7 would allow single-family homes to be built on residentially zoned land as long as the lot is at least 5,000 square feet, has 50 feet of land bordering the road and has access to public water and sewer services. If approved, this law would not apply to Weston, which does not have a public sewer system.

Question 8 seeks to repeal the 2016 law that legalized recreational marijuana. It would also reduce the amount of marijuana an adult over the age of 21 may possess. Home cultivation would still be legal. Current recreational marijuana businesses would be allowed to apply with the state to become medical marijuana dispensaries.

Question 9 is a referendum on the sprawling 2024 gun law, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, which added several regulations regarding so-called “ghost guns,” an expanded definition of assault-style weapons, new data reporting requirements and an expansion of red-flag laws that allow healthcare workers and school administrators to ask courts to issue protection orders requiring people to surrender their firearms licenses and firearms. A no vote would repeal the law, while a yes vote would keep it in place.