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Election Day in New Bedford is shaping up to be business as usual, aside from slight polling location changes. That’s in contrast to the primary elections just two months ago, when federal election monitors, sent by President Donald Trump, made their way through the city.
Before the primary, the Trump administration also asked for the city’s voter rolls. Mayor Jon Mitchell denied the request over concerns tied to the administration’s questioning of election results “without a good faith basis,” The Light reported.
But that won’t be the case this time, according to city officials. Federal regulators notified city officials that they wouldn’t be sending anyone to monitor the polls, the city said in a post on social media in late October.
“New Bedford officials reconfirmed with DOJ, as well as the Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State, that no DOJ monitors will be present at polls in New Bedford for the State Election,” the post said.
Polling location changes
Polls are open Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. and voters can search for their location on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website. If you’re still in line by 8 p.m., you’ll still be able to vote. Voters can also find polling locations in New Bedford by downloading the city’s list of locations — or calling the elections office.
Two polling locations near the South End have changed, according to city officials. The locations for Ward 5 Precinct C and Ward 6 Precinct F, previously situated at the Moose Home (Lodge), have been moved:
Ward 5 Precinct C voters will cast their ballots at St. Teresa of Calcutta School, 180 Orchard St. Ward 6 Precinct F voters will cast ballots at the New Life Southcoast Church, 1331-1335 Cove Road, according to city officials.
Before arriving at the polling place, residents must be registered to vote. You can check voter registration status online. City officials are noting that some residents may have been placed on an inactive voters list.
You can still cast your ballot, but “will first be asked to show identification and will be required to fill out an affirmation of current and continuous residence,” according to the city.
To be eligible to vote you must be a citizen of the U.S., at least 18 years or older, a resident of the state and “not currently incarcerated by reason of a felony conviction,” according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.
Those 16 or 17 years old, who also meet the same qualifications, can pre-register to vote. But noncitizens, regardless of status, cannot register to vote in federal, state and local elections, a spokesperson for the Secretary of the Commonwealth confirmed to The Light.
Any New Bedford resident who is uncertain about their voting status, designated polling location, has changed their address since the last election or has questions regarding mail-in, absentee or early voting should contact the Board of Election Commissioners at (508) 979-1420.
What happens at the polls
Voters may cast their votes for U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, U.S. Representative, councillor, senator in General Court, district attorney, register of probate, county treasurer, county commissioner, and 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 13th District state representatives.
Voters will be asked to fill in an oval next to the name of the candidate they’re putting their voice behind — or write in a candidate. Then the ballot is loaded into a scanner and tabulator.
If an error is made (or you bleed on your ballot, like one reporter from The Light monitoring polls during the primaries saw), get your precinct warden’s attention immediately for a fresh ballot. Voters are allowed a maximum of three ballots. The ballot with the mistake will be voided, according to the city’s Election Day tipsheet.
While voting itself usually takes just minutes — depending on how busy the polling location is — city officials are urging people to do their research before showing up. A list of state election candidates and ballot questions can be found on the state’s election website.
A sample ballot can also be picked up from the Election Office at 133 William St., Room 114. Those samples are also posted at the entrance of voting precincts, and available online.
Nathan Collins is an investigative journalist and a Report for America corps member, covering the fishing industry, oceans and the blue economy. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions. Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@newbedfordlight.org.
