Election Central

New Hampshire’s SCOTUS Appeal Puts Student Voter ID Law in Flux

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by Ethan DeWitt, New Hampshire Bulletin
October 20, 2026

Whether high school and college students in New Hampshire can use their student identification cards to vote on Nov. 3 remains up in the air, after the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office took the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court last week. The request, filed by the state Attorney General’s Office Thursday, asks the Supreme Court to reverse an Oct. 2 order by Judge Joseph Laplante of the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire to halt the new law. House Bill 323, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in April, removed high school, college and university identification cards from the list of acceptable ways for voters to prove their identity when casting a ballot.

Election Central

Question 3 Debate Highlights Disagreements Over Fixing Lack of Competition in Mass. Elections

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by Hallie Claflin, CommonWealth Beacon
October 13, 2026
PERHAPS THE MOST controversial of the nine ballot questions that will appear before Massachusetts voters in November is Question 3, which would replace partisan primaries with all-party primaries for most state, federal, county, and district offices, allowing the two candidates receiving the most votes to advance to the general election. CommonWealth Beacon hosted a debate Tuesday night at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill between Danielle Allen, a Harvard University professor who founded the group advancing the ballot initiative, and Jordan Berg Powers, chair of Voter Rights MA, which is opposing the ballot question. The debate comes as election day nears, and the question draws high-profile supporters and opponents. Former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick recently united in favor of the question, while other high-profile figures, including US Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Ed Markey, have lined up to oppose all-party primaries. A recent CommonWealth Beacon survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group found that Question 3 had the support of 43 percent of likely voters, with 36 percent opposed and 20 percent undecided.

Cannabis

Weekend Brings Haverhill Cannabis Walk, Visits by NFL Stars Highlight Ballot Questions

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All four of Haverhill’s cannabis retailers are taking part this Saturday in the first-ever Haverhill Cannabis Walk—part of a larger weekend “No on 8 and Yes on 10” ballot campaign that also brings NFL stars Ricky Williams and Kyle Turley Sunday to Haverhill. Stem, Mello, CNA Stores and Full Harvest Moon co-sponsor the Cannabis Walk. Stem Owner Caroline Pineau said the two events are designed to educate voters about statewide Question 8, which would overturn legal cannabis sales, and Haverhill Question 10, which would pave the way for permitting of a social cannabis consumption site in Haverhill. “It’s vital that Haverhill voters are fully educated on the questions before them on Nov. 3 because they will have a dramatic impact on local jobs, city tax revenue and whether the cannabis market is controlled by licensed, responsible operators or by street dealers who don’t check IDs and don’t know or care what’s in the product they sell,” Pineau said.

Election Central

Methuen Democratic Committee Takes Sides on Three Ballot Questions

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Ahead of early voting that begins this weekend, the Methuen Democratic City Committee recently took positions on three ballot questions. The Committee voted unanimously to urge a no vote on Question 3, which would keep Massachusetts’ current party primary system; a no vote on Question 8, which would keep retail cannabis sales legal; and a yes vote on Question 9, which would keep stricter regulations on ghost guns, machine guns and assault-style weapons. “This is not the time to be taking Massachusetts backward by creating chaos in our elections, disruptions to our regulated cannabis marketplace or weakening public safety and the strongest gun laws in the country,” said Methuen Democratic City Committee Chair Lisa Yarid Ferry. “Big money is trying to shape Massachusetts to their own desires, but Methuen Democrats will not let that happen—especially in one of the most important election years of our lifetime.”

The Committee said, voting no on Question 3 would preserve Massachusetts’ current party primary system, in which candidates compete in a debate of ideas and are chosen by registered members of their party, while unenrolled voters can choose which party’s primary ballot to vote in. It added, Question 8 would effectively repeal the state’s recreational cannabis laws and regulations first passed by voters in 2016, while a no vote would keep the current system in place.

Election Central

Local Debate Tuesday Weighs Merits of Major Parties vs. Top Two Election Vote-Getters

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One of the nine questions voters are considering this fall would, if approved, upend the traditional system of choosing party-affiliated candidates on separate ballots and instead give everyone a combined list from which to choose. The debate over the question comes to Haverhill Tuesday night. Supporter Danielle Allen of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy and opponent Jordan Berg Powers of Voting Rights MA face off during a debate Tuesday night, between 7 and 8:30 p.m., at Northern Essex Community College’s Hartleb Technology Center, 100 Elliott St. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. CommonWealth Beacon senior reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski moderate. The question has united typically opposing sides—former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, both in favor, and the Republican and Democratic state parties, both opposed.

Election Central

Haverhill Prepares to Cast Ballots Before Election Day with Vote by Mail, Early Voting

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The final state election is closer than some may think with Vote by Mail ballots arriving soon in mailboxes of those requesting them and early voting getting underway at the end of next week. Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office said more than 600,000 ballots are on their way to voters across the state who applied to vote by mail and local election officials are expected to mail another 300,000 ballots in the next several days. Haverhill City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright Esposito said this week early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 17, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30, and takes place in the basement of City Hall, 4 Summer St.

Election Central

Haverhill Democrats Take Positions on Ballot Questions: Endorsing 6, Opposing 3

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The Haverhill Democratic City Committee is taking positions on all nine binding statewide ballot questions voters will decide in November. Committee members are endorsing six questions and opposing three. In summary, it backs the expanded public records law, election day registration, conservation funding and firearms law, while opposing all-party primaries and a ban on recreational marijuana sales. “With so much at stake in this year’s elections, we felt it was important not only to call attention to these nine ballot questions, but also to make clear where the Haverhill Democratic City Committee stands,” said William D. Cox Jr., committee chairperson. “These questions address issues that will have a real impact on people across Massachusetts, and we hope our positions will encourage voters to learn more about what is on the ballot and make informed decisions when they vote on Nov.

Election Central

Mass. Voting Group Praises SCOTUS Decision as Win for Democracy

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By Kathryn Carley

Voting rights advocates in Massachusetts said the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict mail ballots is a major win for democracy. The justices left in place a preliminary injunction preventing the U.S. Postal Service from withholding mail ballots from states refusing to upload personal voter data to a new and untested online portal. Celia Canavan, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, said President Donald Trump has no authority to determine election rules. “This power remains in the Congress and within the states, and the United States Postal Service also does not have the right to change mail-in voting processes,” Canavan asserted. Canavan argued changes to mail-in ballots this close to the midterm elections would have created chaos for state officials but contended it may be the point.