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
Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm
We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)
Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).
Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.
We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.

The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.
Rain, wind and… snow?
This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).
Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.
This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).
Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.
And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.
Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.
Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.
Have a good weekend.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program
The head of the Massachusetts State Police can’t be sued for an alleged program that secretly recorded officers’ phone conversations with civilians and used them to bring criminal charges, the First Circuit said Thursday.
A group of Massachusetts residents filed a putative class against against Superintendent Geoffrey Noble, as well as Motorola and other companies, over the secret recordings, which were used to propose criminal charges in at least 181 cases without prosecutors’ knowledge, the three judge panel said.
The opinion by Circuit Judge Seth Aframe said the residents, led by Jason Courtemanche, failed to show how they’d be directly …
Massachusetts
How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets
Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.
The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.
Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.
“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”
To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.
Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking
Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.
Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Maine
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Montana
- South Dakota
- Louisiana
Check out the full study at WalletHub.
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