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New Bedford residents will vote on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to decide which at-large councilor candidates will appear on the November ballot. With historically low turnout in preliminary elections, every vote can make a big difference. 

Twelve candidates are vying for your vote, and 10 will advance to the general election Nov. 4 — when ward councilors, School Committee seats, and the Assessor’s office will also be on the ballot. You can check your voter registration status online through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website. 

If you’re not yet registered, it’s not too late to register to vote for the Nov. 4 general election. Register by Oct. 25 to vote in that election, either online or by visiting the Election Commission’s office in City Hall Room 114 (go to the right on the first floor, and follow the hall to the back of the building). 

If you need a refresher on who’s running, check out The Light’s 2025 election coverage, and be sure to watch the at-large candidate video series, where seven candidates laid out their platform. (At-large candidates Brian Gomes, Scott Lima, Carlos Maiato, James Roy, and Ian Saunders did not respond or declined to participate.)

And if you want more information to inform your ballot choices, watch The Light’s columnist, Jack Spillane, ask more detailed questions in a series of candidate panels.

Where to vote

Finding your polling location can be done online or by visiting the Election Commission office in City Hall. 

For fastest results, use the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s online tool, which automatically finds your polling place based on your address. Many of them are in the schools, churches, or community centers you already know. 

Voters in two precincts will have a new polling location this year. Residents of Wards 3A and 3C, which includes the Hicks-Logan area and the residential neighborhood north of Sawyer Street and west of Ashley Boulevard, will cast ballots at the Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, at 121 Mount Pleasant St.  (A city press release asked 3A and 3C voters to use the church entrance on Mount Vernon Street when voting this year.)

These voters previously voted at the Hayden-McFadden School, but the ongoing I-195 construction project necessitated the change.

The Election Commission also publishes a full list of polling locations. For those who prefer telephone or in-person services, you can confirm your ward and precinct’s polling location by visiting City Hall or calling 508-979-1420.

Cast your ballot, or vote by mail

If you choose to vote in-person for the Oct. 7 preliminary, polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Many New Bedford residents, including senior citizens, working parents, and otherwise busy people, have begun to vote by mail, an increasingly popular and safe way to vote. Mail-in ballots need to be received by the elections office before polls close on Election Day. 

For the Nov. 4 general election, you can still request your mail-in or absentee ballot before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Manuel DeBrito, chair of New Bedford’s Election Commission, has said there are additional checks associated with the mail-in voting system, including more hand checks by election staff. This extra layer of security makes mail-in voting among the safest ways you can vote, DeBrito has said.

Mail-in voting has allowed more voters the chance to participate in local elections, and it may be helping to reverse a decades-long trend of declining voter turnout.

For all New Bedford residents who want a stake in deciding their local government, the Oct. 7 preliminary offers the first chance to participate. In the November election, all 11 city councilors, three (of six) School Committee members, and one (of three) city assessors will be determined.

Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org

9 replies on “How to vote in New Bedford’s preliminary election on Tuesday”

  2. Michael it’s not only you, the New Bedford Light is not the open forum that they suggest, and filters a lot of people’s comments.

    1. Exactly, they’re part of the far left liberal government, like AOC, & Bernie Sanders flying across America on a private jet while begging for the green new scam to begin.

      1. Very true, they are leaning far to the left, that is why you see so many stories covering and supporting illegalls, and you can bet if there was a comment supporting one of Social Justice Candidates it would have been posted.

      2. Funny how people think a few flights invalidate an entire climate policy. The Green New Deal isn’t about politicians walking everywhere — it’s about building a system where travel doesn’t wreck the planet in the first place.

        1. Not a chance the New Bedford Light is as Far Left Liberal as it gets, they just posted another article about illegal immigration, but they won’t let a conversation go on about our city’s election.

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