Massachusetts
How to get a sample ballot for the November election in MA by mail or online
What you need to know about early voting
Election day is November 5, but some voters can cast their ballots as early as September.
Planning ahead for the Nov. election in Massachusetts? Sample ballots will be available online or by mail very soon.
Blank sample ballots are available for the upcoming statewide election on Nov. 5, when Massachusetts residents will be casting their votes for president, U.S. and state senator, U.S. and state representative and several other offices so voters can research and prepare ahead of their trip to the polls.
Five ballot measures will also be voted on in the upcoming election, with questions including the elimination of MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, unionization for transportation workers and minimum wage for tipped workers.
Here’s how you can see a copy of your blank sample ballot ahead of the election.
How to find your blank sample ballot online
Blank sample ballots will be available online in Massachusetts around early October, the Secretary of State’s office said.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will have sample ballots available on its website. Voters can use the Secretary of State’s election information page to enter their address and find a sample ballot.
In the meantime, the Secretary of State’s office has a list of the offices that will be on the ballot in the Nov. election on its website. Additionally, election encyclopedia Ballotpedia currently has a sample ballot lookup tool that lists the questions and offices that will be on the ballot.
How to request a sample ballot by mail in MA
Massachusetts voters who don’t have access to online ballots and want to instead receive a sample ballot by mail will have to request one from their local Town or City Clerk’s office.
The state does not send out sample ballots via mail unless it is requested by a voter.
The sample ballots will be available in clerk’s offices no later than Oct. 7, the Secretary of State’s office said.
What is a sample election ballot?
A sample ballot is a blank ballot that looks like the official one that will be used for an election.
Sample ballots are typically made available for voters ahead of an election so they know how to navigate the information when casting their vote. It should be clearly marked as a sample.
Massachusetts
What’s open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe
Convenience stores: Open at owners’ discretion on both days.
Taverns, bars: Open at owners’ discretion on both days.
Movie theaters: Open both days.
Drug stores: Open both days.
Coffee Shops: Open at owners’ discretion both days.
Banks: Most are closed or open for limited hours both days.
Stock market: Closes at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.
Municipal, state, federal offices: Open on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.
Libraries: Open with varying hours on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.
Schools: Closed both days.
Mail: Post offices open with varying hours on Christmas Eve. Post offices closed Christmas Day; express delivery only.
MBTA: Subways, buses, commuter rail, the RIDE, and ferry routes will operate on regular weekday schedule on Christmas Eve. Silver Line service to and from Logan Airport will be increased.
On Christmas Day, subways, buses and the RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule. Commuter rail will operate on a weekend schedule. There will be no ferry service. For more information, visit https://www.mbta.com/holidays.
Trash/recycling collection: Collections on Christmas Eve and no collections on Christmas Day in Boston. To monitor your neighborhood’s trash and recycling schedule, download the Trash Day App at: https://www.boston.gov/trash-day-schedule.
Sources: boston.gov and mass.gov.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the time the stock market closes on Christmas Eve.
Sabrina Lam can be reached at sabrina.lam@globe.com.
Massachusetts
Changes Coming to Mega Millions in 2025
Mega Millions lottery tickets will more than double in 2025, but the Massachusetts Lottery says you’ll have a better chance of winning.
The Lottery says, “Mega Millions, the multi-state lottery game that has produced a record six jackpot wins exceeding $1 billion, is getting ready for a ‘mega’ overhaul with plans to be bigger and better than ever when the new and improved game launches in April of 2025.”
The Massachusetts Lottery promises “improved odds to win the jackpot, bigger jackpots more frequently, larger starting jackpots, faster-growing jackpots, a built-in multiplier on every play, automatically improving every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X – up to $10 million for matching the five white balls, and no breakeven prizes, meaning when a player wins they’ll always win more than the cost of the ticket.”
Five jackpot prizes have been paid out in Massachusetts since the Mega Millions game began in 2022.
Forty-five states and two U.S. territories participate in the Mega Millions game.
The Associated Press quotes Christian Teja, the Massachusetts Lottery Director of Communications, as saying that “They’re constantly looking at ways to enhance the games, maybe make them a little bit different than Powerball.”
“You have probably heard about jackpot fatigue, it used to be $100 million and everybody was playing. Then it became $300 million,” Teja said. “Then it was $500 million. Now, it’s really approaching a billion dollars before you see the sales kick up.”
It currently costs $2 to play Mega Millions but the ticket price will increase to $5 in April 2025. Perhaps the lure of bigger prizes and better chances to win will overshadow the higher ticket cost.
25 Times SouthCoasters Won $1 Million or More in the Massachusetts Lottery
Since 2006, the Massachusetts State Lottery has kept a record of every winning ticket of $1 million or more. Here are 25 sold on the SouthCoast.
Gallery Credit: Gazelle
America’s Top 10 States With The Most Lottery Wins
Just how lucky is your state? A new list has determined which states have won the most money from either the Powerball or MegaMillions in the last 10 years.
Gallery Credit: Jahna Michal
Massachusetts
Massachusetts lawmaker proposes legislation to regulate drones
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