Early voting opens in Reading for Nov. 3 election
(5-minute read)
In-person early voting opens in Reading on Saturday, October 17, ahead of the November 3 election, giving residents two weeks to vote before Election Day. This year’s ballot is longer than usual, with two double-sided pages covering candidates, nine statewide questions, and two local questions, and election officials are asking voters to check both sides of both pages before they finish.
When and where to vote early
Early voting takes place at Reading Town Hall (16 Lowell Street) from October 17 through October 30.
Saturday, October 17: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday, October 19: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Tuesday, October 20: 7:30 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, October 21: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Thursday, October 22: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Friday, October 23: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, October 24: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday, October 26: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Tuesday, October 27: 7:30 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, October 28: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Thursday, October 29: 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Friday, October 30: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Residents who prefer to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, can do so from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm at the Hawkes Fieldhouse at Reading Memorial High School (62 Oakland Road), which serves as the polling place for all of Reading’s precincts.
Key deadlines
Voters planning to register, or to vote by mail or absentee, should note these dates:
Voter registration deadline: Saturday, October 24, by 5:00 pm
Vote-by-mail ballot request deadline: Tuesday, October 27, by 5:00 pm
Absentee ballot request by mail: Tuesday, October 27, by 5:00 pm
Absentee ballot request in person: Monday, November 2, by 12:00 pm
Understanding the ballot’s two pages
This year’s ballot comes as two separate sheets, each printed front and back, for four sides in total. One side of one sheet carries the candidate races, from U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative down to state representative, Governor’s Councillor, Register of Probate, and District Attorney, while the remaining pages carry the nine statewide ballot questions along with Reading’s two local questions on the proposed override and the Community Preservation Act surcharge. Voters in Precincts 1, 7, and 8 will include an additional question on stipend reform. Voters should turn each sheet over to make sure they have seen everything on both sides before finishing.
The distinction matters more for anyone voting by mail. Place all four sides in the return envelope, and if you leave out a page, any votes on that page, whether for a candidate, a statewide question, or a local question, will not be counted. Residents should check that both sheets, front and back, are enclosed before sealing and returning their envelope.
What’s on the ballot: candidates
Massachusetts held its state primary on September 1, 2026, settling the field for the general election. The November ballot includes the following offices: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Governor’s Councillor, State Senator, State Representative, Register of Probate, and District Attorney. Residents can review the candidates running for each office on our State Races page and review the sample ballot available from the Town Clerk’s Office.
What’s on the ballot: nine statewide questions
Question 1 would make most records held by the Legislature and the governor’s office subject to the state’s public records law, with exemptions for policy development and certain constituent communications.
Question 2 would let employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state’s public defender agency, form a union and bargain collectively.
Question 3 would replace separate party primaries with a single all-party primary for most state and federal offices, sending the top two finishers to the general election regardless of party.
Question 4 would allow voters to register or update their registration at their polling place on Election Day, instead of the current ten-day advance deadline.
Question 5 would change the formula that sets the state’s annual cap on tax revenue, counting last year’s actual revenue rather than last year’s limit, and folding in revenue from the surtax on income above $1M.
Question 6 would create a conservation fund for parks, trails, and outdoor recreation, financed by directing existing sales tax revenue from sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and golf courses, without raising any tax.
Question 7 would bar cities and towns from blocking single-family homes on residential lots of at least 5,000 square feet with public sewer and water access, while leaving setbacks, height, and other local rules in place.
Question 8 would repeal the laws that legalized and taxed retail recreational marijuana sales, while keeping the medical marijuana program and personal possession legal under tighter limits.
Question 9 is a referendum on the state’s 2024 overhaul of firearms laws, already in effect since that October; a yes vote keeps the law, and a no vote repeals it.
For Questions 1 through 8, a yes vote enacts the proposed law. Question 9 works in reverse, since it asks whether to keep the law, and a no vote repeals it.
What’s on the ballot: local questions
Reading voters will also decide two local questions. One is a $6.5M operational override tied to the FY28 budget. The other is a proposed 1% Community Preservation Act surcharge to fund conservation, recreation, historic preservation, and affordable housing projects. Details on both, including a tax impact calculator, are available on our Override and CPA Information pages. Precincts 1, 7, and 8 will also vote on Question 12 on stipend reform.
Where to find more information
The Reading Observer has published a full breakdown of each statewide ballot question, along with coverage of the local override and CPA questions and the races for state and federal office. Residents with questions about registration, early voting, or mail ballots can contact the Town Clerk’s office, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division can be reached at 617-727-2828.
