As we look ahead to November’s elections, Canton Patch is devoted to bring you the information you need about every race in town. Bookmark this page for updates.

Voting Info

• Polling Locations in Canton:

  Precincts 1 & 6: Canton High School
  Precinct 2: Dean S. Luce Elementary School
  Precinct 3: Blue Hill Regional School
  Precincts 4 & 5: J. F. Kennedy Elementary School

• Absentee Ballots: If you're looking to fill out an absentee ballot for the November election, you can fill one out by clicking here or visiting the Canton Town Clerk's office.

• Residents have until Oct. 17 to register to vote. Find out what you need to do by clicking here.

Races

STATE

• Canton's State Rep., William Galvin, and State Senator Brian A. Joyce will seek re-election this November.

  Joseph Selvaggi will challenge Rep. Stephen Lynch in November after defeating Republican opponent Matt Temperley in a tight 8th Congressional race in Thursday's State Primary. Massachusetts lost a Congressional seat after the 2010 U.S. Census results showed a population shift within the state. After Jan. 1, 2013, there will no longer be a 10th Congressional District. The 9th District, where Canton now sits, will become part of the 8th District. Basically, the 8th District is the old 9th, and you can't get more New England than that description. It also looks as if Rep. Steven Lynch, district 9, will be running for a seat in the new district 8.

  Robert Jubinville won the highly-contested primary for the second district of Governor's Council in September. He will face Republican Earl Sholley in November. 

NATIONAL

• U.S. Senate 

  U.S. Senator Scott Brown stopped at Blue Hills Brewery in Canton during his campaign tour of the state's breweries. Challenger and Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate Elizabeth Warren hasn't stopped by Canton for a photo opportunity, yet there is still time. The race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren has already gotten rough. Is it politics as usual? What will this mean for Massachusetts?

• U.S. President

  President Barack Obama is no stranger to Massachusetts, as the Island of Martha's Vineyard has been  the President's summer hideaway for the past few years. With a fight ahead of him this November, Obama decided not to returnfor a family vacation on the Vineyard this summer.

  Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor, Republican Mitt Romney is a Belmont resident. The Town of Belmont was happy when Romney won the Republican primary, but will he be able to carry the mostly Democratic state once again and this time as President?

Ballot Issues

Ballot Question 1: "Do you approve of a proposed law that 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?"

Ballot Question 2: "Do you approve of a proposed law that would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient’s request, to end that patient’s life?"

Ballot Question 3: "Do you approve of a proposed law that would eliminate state criminal and civil penalties for the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients?"

Ballot Question 4: Shall the town of Canton accept sections 3-7 inclusive, of Chapter 44B of the Massachusetts General Laws, a summary of which appears below? 

(As written on the ballot)

Sections 3 to 7 of Chapter 44B of the General Laws of Massachusetts, also known as the Community Preservation Act, establishes a dedicated funding source to acquire and preserve open space, parks and conservation land, protect public drinking water supplies, and scenic areas, protect farm land and forests from future development, restore and preserve historic properties and help meet local families' housing needs. 

In Canton, the Community Preservation Act will be funded by an additional excise of 1 percent on the annual tax levy on real property to be assessed beginning in fiscal year 2014 and by annual distributions provided by the state. The following exceptions from such surcharge, permitted under Section 3(e) of the Act, will apply: (1) property owned and occupied as domicile by any person who qualifies for low income housing or low or moderate income senior housing in the town, as defined in Section 2 of said Act and (2) $100,000 of the value of each taxable parcel of residential real property. A taxpayer receiving a regular property tax abatement or exemption will also receive a pro rata reduction in surcharge. 

A Community Preservation Committee will be established by by-law to study community preservation resources, possibilities and needs and will make annual recommendations of the use of the funds. The Town Meeting must approve any such recommendation before funds can be expended, and at least 10 percent of the funds for each fiscal year will be spent or reserved for later spending on each of the Act's three community preservation purposes: (1) open space (excluding land for recreational use), (2) historical resources and (3) community housing. All expenditures pursuant to the Act will be subject to an annual audit.