It’s time to stand up and be heard … it’s time to vote

NEW BEDFORD — The debating is done. The door-to-door campaigning? It’s history. All the fundraisers, party rhetoric and political posturing are now in the rear-view mirror.

If you haven’t already voted by mail or in person, the time has come.

Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., across New Bedford, for an election that features races for governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and Governor’s Council, along with U.S. House of Representatives, county offices and candidates for state Senate and House of Representatives.

Voters will also decide the fate of four statewide ballot questions and one citywide referendum that asks whether New Bedford should join the MBTA.

Following is a summary of the races, the candidates and the questions for New Bedford voters to consider today:

Governor and lieutenant governor: Voters have three parties to choose from after Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito decided not to seek re-election. The Democrats are Maura Healey for governor and Kim Driscoll for lieutenant governor; the Republicans are Goeff Diehl for governor and Leah Cole Allen for lieutenant governor; and Libertarians are Kevin Reed for governor and Peter Everett for lieutenant governor.

Attorney general: Current AG Maura Healey is leaving the office to run for governor, creating an open field for the state’s top lawyer. Democrat Andrea Joy Campbell of Boston faces Republican James R. McMahon III of Bourne.

Secretary of state: Incumbent Democrat William Francis Galvin of Boston faces a challenge from Republican Rayla Campbell of Whitman and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Juan Sanchez of Holyoke.

Treasurer: Incumbent Democrat Deborah B. Goldberg of Brookline is challenged by Libertarian Cristina Crawford of Sherborn.

Auditor: Five candidates are on the ballot: Republican Anthony Amore of Winchester, Democrat Diana DiZoglio of Methuen, Green-Rainbow Party candidate Gloria A. Caballero-Roca of Holyoke, Workers Party candidate Dominic Giannone III of Weymouth, and Libertarian Daniel Riek of Yarmouth.

Representative in Congress: In the Massachusetts 9^th District race, which covers Cape Cod, the South Shore and much of the South Coast, U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, the incumbent Democrat from Bourne, faces a challenge from Republican Jesse G. Brown of Plymouth.

Governor’s Council: In the 1^st District, Incumbent Democrat Joseph C. Ferreira of Swansea is running unopposed.

Mass. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Mark C. Montigny of New Bedford is running unopposed in the 2^nd Bristol and Plymouth District.

Mass. House of Representatives: New Bedford now has five state representatives after redistricting last year. Some candidates are running unopposed. The ballot you receive will have one of these sets of candidates, depending on your district.

8^th Bristol District: Incumbent Paul A. Schmid III of Westport faces a rematch with Republican challenger Evan Gendreau, also of Westport.

9^th Bristol District: Christopher Markey of Dartmouth is running unopposed in the general election after winning his primary race against fellow Democrat Cameron Costa of New Bedford.

10^th Bristol District: Longtime incumbent Democrat William M. Straus of Mattapoisett is challenged by Republican Jeffrey Gerald Swift, a chiropractor from Mattapoisett.

11^th Bristol District: Incumbent Democrat Christopher Hendricks of New Bedford has no challenger in the general election and had no opponent in the state primary.

13^th Bristol District: Incumbent Democrat Antonio F. D. Cabral of New Bedford has no opponent in the general election and did not have a challenger in the primary.

Bristol County offices: There are numerous races for county offices this year, including the hotly contested showdown for Bristol County sheriff. Candidates in other county-wide races are unopposed.

Bristol County sheriff: Incumbent Republican Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson of Dartmouth, who has held the office since he was appointed by then-Gov. William F. Weld in 1997, faces a challenge from Paul R. Heroux of Attleboro, a Democrat who is currently serving as mayor of his home city.

Bristol County district attorney: Thomas M. Quinn, the incumbent Democrat from Fall River, is unopposed in the general election after defeating primary challenger Shannon McMahon in September.

Bristol County commissioner: John T. Saunders of New Bedford is running unopposed.

Bristol County register of deeds: Democrat Sherrilynn M. Mello of New Bedford is running unopposed.

Mass. ballot questions

There are four statewide ballot questions to consider.

Question 1: The so-called millionaires tax would establish an additional 4% state income tax on the portion of yearly taxable income above $1 million. Find a complete summary here.

Question 2: A “Yes” vote on this question would require dental insurance carriers to pay at least 83% of insurance premiums toward patient expenses and quality improvements instead of administrative expenses. Read more here.

Question 3: Voting “Yes” would increase the number of licenses a retailer could have for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consumed off premises, limit the number of “all alcoholic beverages” licenses that a retailer could acquire, restrict the use of self-checkout and require retailers to accept consumers’ out-of-state IDs. Read more here.

Question 4: A “Yes” vote would retain the new state law allowing Massachusetts residents who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States to obtain a driver’s license if they meet other requirements. Read more here.

MBTA: There is also a citywide referendum asking voters to approve New Bedford as an MBTA community. Membership is required if the city wants to be connected to Boston via commuter rail. Read more here.

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