General Election Information and Deadlines

11:18AM / Friday, October 04, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, for the office of President and Vice President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor's Councillor, State Senator, State Representative, Register of Deeds and Clerk of Courts.

In addition, there are five questions that will appear on the ballot. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early/absentee ballots are not expected to be available until the week of Oct. 7, 2024. The Registrar of Voters Office will mail out any requested ballots once they are received.

Saturday, Oct. 26, is the deadline to register to vote or to make changes to voter registration. To be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.

Early voting will begin on Saturday, Oct. 19 and continue through Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.

Hours and voting locations may vary from community to community. Check with your city or town clerk for specific details.

A person is eligible to vote by absentee ballot if they are a registered voter and will be unable to vote at the polls on Election Day for any one of the following three reasons: (1) absence from the city during normal polling hours, (2) physical disability preventing you from going to the polls, (3) religious beliefs.

Voters must first complete an absentee ballot application. The deadline to vote in person by absentee ballot is noon on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Voters may vote by mail or in person. Vote by Mail applications are also available for anyone who wishes to vote early by mail. The last day to request a ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. You must first complete an application to receive a ballot by mail.

Once a voter has cast an early voting or absentee ballot, the voter may no longer vote at the polls on Election Day.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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