While it’s not 2016 yet, there is an election coming up on November 4th that is as important, or perhaps even more important, than the 2016 Presidential elections could be. It’s the 2014 General Elections. While there’s not as much of a media circus for this election cycle as for the Presidential Elections, this election may be more important than the presidential election since we will be electing senators, the governor, attorney generals, and many other local and state positions which could have a greater impact on the state and country than a president. Whether you’re filling out an absentee ballot for your home state/county or registering to vote in Amherst or the surrounding area, here are a few things to get you up to speed on the upcoming election.
1. The Gubernatorial Election
The Gubernatorial Election is when we elect the governor of the state. For Massachusetts, the two main candidates are current Attorney General and Democrat Martha Coakley and former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Insurance Republican Charlie Baker. Coakley previously lost to Scott Brown in the 2010 Special Senatorial election, but since then has been working to ensure reproductive choice through her “buffer zone” plans for abortion clinics, combating the Northeast Heroin Crisis in 2014, and preserving marriage equality in Massachusetts. Baker, while instrumental in making Harvard Pilgrim one of the premie health insurance companies in Massachusetts, was also one of the major benefactors in the much-maligned “Big Dig” project. As of October 25, Coakley trailed Baker 9 points in the polls.
2. The Senatorial Election
The Senatorial Election is to determine who will occupy one of the Massachusetts Senate seats. Currently it is a race between current Massachusetts Senator Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Hopkinton Selectman Brian Herr. Markey is the incumbent Senator, filling the space left by former Senator Mo Cowan after Secretary of State John Kerry vacated his Massachusetts Senate Seat, and he has helped Massachusetts get environmentally friendly, backing the Cape Winds Project and Solarize Mass Initiative. Herr has been on the Hopkinton Planning Board and Select Board, and is a fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but has been struggling to get noticed in this race. As of October 25, Markey is well ahead of Herr in the polls. You will also get a chance to vote for your state senator, who will represent your district in the state senate. Fun fact: the current Massachusetts State Senator Majority Leader is Amherst’s own Stanley Rosenberg, a UMass alum and former member of the UMass Marching Band, Rosenberg leads the Democratic Party in the Massachusetts State Senate. If you are filing an absentee ballot, please review who your state Senator is in your district.
3. Local/ County offices
This is perhaps the most important part of the election and it often gets overlooked. This is where you can choose the holders of local and county offices, such as school boards, selectmen, and various other offices. Why this is very important is that your votes could prompt a fundamental change on how business is done on the local level. If filing an absentee ballot, please check who is up for election in your town/county.
4. Ballot Questions
Ballot questions let the voter decide on various policy changes to be implemented across the state. In Massachusetts, Question 1 would make the gas tax not tied to inflation. Question 2, seen around campus as “The Bottle Bill,” will allow for non-alcoholic and non-carbonated drinks to be returned for deposit. Question 3 would include betting on simulcast greyhound races as prohibited forms of gambling. Question 4 would entitle Massachusetts workers to 40 hours paid sick time a year, becoming the first state in the country to do so. As always, if you’re filling out an absentee ballot for your home state (if you’re not from Massachusetts), please check your home state’s ballot questions.
I hope that answers a few questions many may have about what this 2014 general election is about. While it’s not the presidential election in terms of media hullaballoo or defining an era by a president’s administration, it is just as important if not more important because your votes in the general election could have sweeping effects on a local and national level. Be sure to do some research and make an informed decision, Collegiettes. The future of this nation depends on it.