QUINCY ‒ In November, Quincy voters will choose eight city councilors and three school committee members.
But, first, there is a preliminary election.
Two races ‒ Ward 6 and councilor-at-large ‒ have drawn enough candidates to trigger preliminary elections, which will whittle down the field before the general election.
Eight candidates are vying for three at-large city council seats, of which two will be eliminated on Sept. 2. Four candidates hope to win the seat to represent Ward 6, which comprises North Quincy, Marina Bay, Squantum and a section of Wollaston. Two of these candidates will move on to the Nov. 4 contest.
In the race for at-large city councilor, The Patriot Ledger has profiled incumbent Scott Campbell, Jackie Carvey, Hannah Kaplan, Andy Pham and Susan Yuan. Incumbent Noel DiBona and Alie Shaughnessy did not respond to interview requests sent by emails, phone messages and social media messages.
Prior to the preliminary, The Patriot Ledger will publish profiles of Ward 6 candidates Chris Chan, Jim Coffey, and Deborah Riley. Incumbent Bill Harris said he is travelling outside of Quincy due to a recent death and declined an interview.
Voters at Saint Thomas Aquinas Hall in the Houghs Neck neighborhood of Quincy wait in line to cast their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the First Church of Squantum will hold a candidate forum for the Ward 6 race. The event takes place in Fellowship Hall in the church basement at 164 Bellevue Road. at 6 p.m. Organizer Dan Oates said all four candidates will appear and attendee-submitted questions will be reviewed by the moderator.
When is the Quincy preliminary election? And where do I vote?
Polls open across the city’s six wards at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2 and close at 8 p.m. A list of precincts and polling places can be found here.
To find your ward and precinct, type your address into the city’s geographic information system map.
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Early voting, voting by mail and absentee ballots
Voters can cast their ballots early at City Hall,1305 Hancock St., on Saturday, August 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Early voting resumes on Monday, August 25 through Friday, August 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the same location.
Voters have until Tuesday, August 26 to apply for mail-in ballots for the preliminary election and Oct. 28 for the general election. Applications are only accepted if they reach Quincy’s election office by the deadline, according to a state webpage.
Mail-in ballots can be mailed back in the envelope provided, hand delivered to the election office at city hall, dropped off during early voting or at the ballot dropbox, according to the Massachusetts Secretary of State website. Quincy’s dropbox is located at the main entrance to City Hall at 1305 Hancock St.
In order to be counted, ballots must reach the election office by close of polls on the day of the election.
Voters are eligible for absentee ballots if they will be away from Quincy on election day, have religious beliefs that prevent them from voting at a polling location, are incarcerated or are prevented by a disability from voting in person, per the state webpage.
Deadlines for absentee ballot applications are the same as for voting-by-mail applications and can be returned in the same way.
Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Guide to Quincy preliminary election: Who is running, when to vote