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What's on your Nov. 3 ballot, town by town, and which precincts get a different one

Every voter gets the same statewide races and nine questions. Below them, the races change with the town, and in Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Swansea and Taunton with the precinct.

By the SC360 Town Hall Desk | Published Oct. 31, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 31, 2026, 1:36 a.m. ET

SOUTH COAST Every voter on the South Coast will see the same statewide races and the same nine statewide ballot questions on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Below those, the ballot changes with the town, and in six communities with the precinct. Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Swansea and Taunton each print more than one version, matched to state House districts, according to the towns' posted sample ballots and New Bedford's Board of Election Commissioners.

Of the 14 community ballots read for this story, only Swansea's has a local question. Dighton's sample ballot shows one version for all three precincts and no local question. Taunton prints three versions, one for each of the city's state House districts. New Bedford's and Rehoboth's ballots appear below from state district records, and this story will be updated once their printed ballots have been read.

On every ballot

Every community votes for U.S. senator (four candidates), governor and lieutenant governor (three tickets, with one vote for a ticket), attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor (two candidates each), and the Governor's Council's 1st District, which has one candidate. Each ballot also carries the race for Congress in its district: the 4th District in Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea and Taunton, and the 9th District in the other nine communities.

Questions 1 to 9 are the same in every community. SC360's guide to the nine questions explains what a yes vote and a no vote would do on each one.

The ballot comes on two cards. On the Dighton, Freetown and Taunton ballots, card 1 holds the races on the front and Questions 1 to 5 on the back, and card 2 holds Questions 6 to 9. The Dighton and Taunton cards print "Vote both sides." In Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Somerset and Westport, the races and Questions 1 to 7 are on card 1, and card 2 holds Questions 8 and 9.

County races

Twelve of the 16 communities vote in Bristol County races. The open district attorney's seat is contested between Republican Seth Thomas Aitken of Swansea and Democrat Christopher Matthew Markey of Dartmouth, whose campaign money SC360 reported Oct. 30. The register of probate race is between Democrat Thomas Cleary Hoye Jr. of Taunton, the incumbent, and independent Melanie Patenaude Layden of Taunton. County Treasurer Christopher T. Saunders and County Commissioner John Thomas Saunders, both New Bedford Democrats, have no opponents.

Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Wareham vote in Plymouth County. District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz of Marshfield, a Republican, Register of Probate Matthew Joseph McDonough of Marshfield, a Democrat, and County Treasurer Thomas J. O'Brien of Plymouth, a Democrat, are unopposed. The county commissioner seat is contested between Democrat Rhonda L. Nyman of Hanover and Republican Anthony Thomas O'Brien Sr. of Pembroke.

Town by town

Who is running in each state Senate and House district is in SC360's legislative races story, and polling places in Taunton, Fall River and five towns are in our where to vote guide. Here are the districts on each community's ballot.

Acushnet: two versions. Precincts 1 and 2A vote in the 10th Bristol House district, and Precincts 2 and 3 in the 8th Bristol. The whole town is in the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district.

Dartmouth: one version for all nine precincts, with the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district and the 9th Bristol House seat, which has no incumbent on the ballot. Polling places are in our Dartmouth story.

Dighton: one version for all three precincts. Its Senate race is the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District, where Republican Kelly A. Dooner of Taunton, the incumbent, is unopposed. Its House race is the 5th Bristol, between Republican Justin E. Thurber of Somerset, the incumbent, and Democrat Jamison D. Souza of Somerset.

Dighton voters also elect the Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School District Committee, and the ballot tells them they may vote for every seat, whatever town they live in. Of the eight town seats, only Berkley's is contested, between Richard J. Spada Jr., the incumbent, and Jacqueline Machamer, both of Berkley. Taunton's seat elects two members, and incumbents Estele Christine Borges and Louis Borges Jr. are the only names printed. Freetown's seat has no printed candidate, only a write-in line.

Fairhaven: one version for all six precincts, with the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district and the 10th Bristol House district.

Fall River: three versions. Ward 1 Precincts B and C, Wards 2, 3 and 4, and Ward 5 Precinct A vote in the 7th Bristol House district. Ward 1 Precinct A and Ward 6 Precincts A and B vote in the 8th Bristol. Ward 5 Precincts B and C, Ward 6 Precinct C and Wards 7, 8 and 9 vote in the 6th Bristol. The whole city is in the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district. The city's ballot drop box and two-card ballot are in our Fall River story.

Freetown: two versions. Precinct 1 votes in the 6th Bristol House district and Precincts 2 and 3 in the 8th Bristol, and the town is in the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district. Freetown's ballot carries the same eight Bristol-Plymouth school committee seats as Dighton's.

Marion: one precinct and one version, with the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, the 10th Bristol House district and the Plymouth County races. Marion also votes for four seats on the Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School Committee. Only the Bourne seat is contested, between David P. Sampson, the incumbent, and Timothy N. Derby, both of Bourne.

Mattapoisett: one version for both precincts, with the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, the 10th Bristol House district and the Plymouth County races.

Rochester: one precinct and one version, with the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, the 10th Bristol House district and the Plymouth County races.

Somerset: one version for all five precincts, with the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district and the 5th Bristol House district.

Swansea: two versions. Precincts 1, 2 and 3 vote in the 5th Bristol House district, and Precincts 4 and 5 in the 4th Bristol, which has one candidate on the ballot. The town is in the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district. Both versions carry Question 10, a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion for the bonds to build a new grades 6 to 8 school at the Joseph Case High School site, explained in our Swansea story.

Taunton: three versions, one for each state House district. Ward 1 Precincts A and B and Wards 2, 5, 7 and 8 vote in the 3rd Bristol, between Democrat Lisa M. Field of Taunton, the incumbent, and Republican Lawrence Joseph Quintal of Taunton. Ward 1 Precinct A1, Ward 4 Precinct B1 and Ward 6 vote in the 5th Bristol, the same Thurber and Souza race that is on Dighton's ballot. Ward 3 and Ward 4 Precincts A and B vote in the 12th Bristol, where Republican Norman J. Orrall of Lakeville, the incumbent, is unopposed.

Two pairs of Taunton precincts share a polling place but get different ballots. Ward 1 Precincts A and A1 both vote at the former temporary City Hall, where Precinct A is in the 3rd Bristol and Precinct A1 is in the 5th. Ward 4 Precincts B and B1 both vote at East Taunton Elementary School, where Precinct B is in the 12th Bristol and Precinct B1 is in the 5th. Every Taunton voter also has the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate race, with Dooner unopposed, the Bristol County races and the Bristol-Plymouth school committee seats. The city's warrant lists no local question, and Question 9 is the last item on its ballots.

Wareham: one version for all six precincts, with the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, the 2nd Plymouth House district, the Plymouth County races and the same four Upper Cape Cod school committee seats as Marion. The town's ballot is in our Wareham story.

Westport: one version for all five precincts, with the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Senate district and the 8th Bristol House district.

New Bedford and Rehoboth

New Bedford has no electronic copy of its ballot. The Board of Election Commissioners says the city prints five ballot types with two cards each, and printed specimens are available at City Hall, Room 114, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city's Oct. 14 election notice lists the offices on the ballot, including state representative in the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 13th Bristol districts. The whole city is in the 9th Congressional District and the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Sept. 1 primary returns place its precincts in House districts this way:

Any local question on New Bedford's ballot will be added once the printed specimen has been read. The Board of Election Commissioners answers questions at 508-979-1420.

Rehoboth's sample ballot has not yet been read for this story. The Secretary's Sept. 1 primary returns place all four Rehoboth precincts in the 4th Congressional District, the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate district and the 4th Bristol House district, and the Bristol-Plymouth committee ballots in Dighton, Freetown and Taunton include a Rehoboth seat. Any local question on Rehoboth's ballot will be added in an update. The Town Clerk's office, at Town Hall, 340 Anawan St., answers questions at 508-252-6502, ext. 3109.

Voting Tuesday

Polling places in Massachusetts are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and an eligible voter who is in line at the polling place by 8 p.m. can cast a ballot, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's 2026 Information for Voters guide, which points voters to VoteInMA.com to look up their polling place.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from each town's or city's own posted sample or specimen ballot, Taunton's state election warrant, New Bedford's Oct. 14 election notice and its Board of Election Commissioners, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Sept. 1 primary returns and 2026 Information for Voters guide, all listed below. We read Dighton's and Taunton's ballots on Oct. 31, 2026, and the other towns' ballots between Oct. 17 and Oct. 26. Names, parties, hometowns and incumbency are as the ballots print them. New Bedford's House districts by precinct come from the state's primary returns, since the city has no electronic ballot. Rehoboth's ballot has not been read. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (21)

  1. Town of Dighton: State Election 11.3.2026 Sample Ballot (style 169, two cards)Linked from the town's 2026 Elections Center page. One version for the town; every race, the Bristol-Plymouth committee seats and Questions 1 to 9; no local question. Read Oct. 31, 2026.
  2. City of Taunton: Sample Ballots 11.3.26 General Election (styles 164, 172 and 193)Ward and precinct lines for each style; House, Senate, county and regional races as printed. Read Oct. 31, 2026.
  3. City of Taunton: Fully Executed November 3, 2026 State WarrantPolling places by precinct; offices; Questions 1 to 9, no local question. Signed Sept. 29, 2026. Read Oct. 31, 2026.
  4. City of Taunton: November 3rd State Election Calendar of EventsLast day to vote in-person absentee, Monday, Nov. 2, by noon, City Hall, 15 Summer St. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
  5. City of New Bedford: Election Commission UpdatesOffices on the Nov. 3 ballot, including state representative in the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 13th Bristol districts; phone 508-979-1420. Posted Oct. 14, 2026.
  6. New Bedford Board of Election Commissioners, Chair Manuel DeBritoSpecimen ballots on paper at City Hall, Room 114, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; no electronic copy; five ballot types with two cards each. Oct. 26, 2026.
  7. Town of Rehoboth: Town Meeting and Election InformationTown Clerk at Town Hall, 340 Anawan St.; 508-252-6502, ext. 3109. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  8. Secretary of the Commonwealth: Sept. 1, 2026 state primary returns by precinctCongressional, Senate and House district for each New Bedford, Rehoboth and Dighton precinct. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  9. Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 Information for VotersPolling hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; voters in line by 8 p.m. may vote; Questions 1 to 9. Read Oct. 19, 2026.
  10. Town of Acushnet: Warrant and Specimen Ballots, State Election Nov. 3, 2026Two versions: Precincts 1 and 2A, 10th Bristol; Precincts 2 and 3, 8th Bristol. Read Oct. 26, 2026.
  11. Town of Dartmouth: Official sample ballot (style 181)One version; card 2 holds Questions 8 and 9. Read Oct. 17, 2026.
  12. Town of Fairhaven: Official specimen ballot (ballot code 184, two cards)One version; card 2 holds Questions 8 and 9. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  13. City of Fall River: Official specimen ballots, styles 173, 175 and 177Ward and precinct lines for each style; card 2 holds Questions 8 and 9. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  14. Town of Freetown: Precinct 1 sample ballot (style 174) and Precincts 2 and 3 sample ballot (style 178)Precinct 1, 6th Bristol; Precincts 2 and 3, 8th Bristol. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  15. Town of Marion: Sample ballot (style 185)Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  16. Town of Mattapoisett: Official specimen ballot (style 186)Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  17. Town of Rochester: State election warrant with sample ballotRead Oct. 23, 2026.
  18. Town of Somerset: State election sample ballot (style 170)Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  19. Town of Swansea: State election ballots, Precincts 1 to 3 (style 171) and Precincts 4 and 5Precincts 1 to 3, 5th Bristol; Precincts 4 and 5, 4th Bristol; Question 10 on both. Read Oct. 23, 2026.
  20. Town of Wareham: Official specimen ballotRead Oct. 23, 2026.
  21. Town of Westport: Sample ballot (style 180)Read Oct. 23, 2026.

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