Reported by us | Taunton

22 contests and 9 questions on Taunton's ballot today, polls open until 8 p.m.

The state representative race depends on your ward and precinct, and two polling places hand out two different ballots. Every voter can vote for every Bristol-Plymouth school committee seat.

By the SC360 Town Hall Desk | Published Nov. 3, 2026 | Last verified Nov. 3, 2026, 11:26 a.m. ET

TAUNTON Every Taunton voter will find 22 contests and nine statewide questions on the ballot today, Tuesday, Nov. 3: 14 state and county races and eight contests for nine seats on the Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School District Committee, according to the city's posted sample ballots. Polls at the city's 18 precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., under the state election warrant the City Council signed Sept. 29, and a voter who is in line by 8 p.m. can still cast a ballot, the Secretary of the Commonwealth's 2026 Information for Voters guide says.

The city prints three ballot styles, one for each of the three state House districts in Taunton. Everything else on the ballot is the same citywide, and the warrant lists no local question. The ballot comes on two cards: card 1 holds the races on the front and Questions 1 to 5 on the back, card 2 holds Questions 6 to 9, and both cards print "Vote both sides."

The state and county races every Taunton voter shares

Here they are in the order the ballot prints them, with each candidate's party or designation and hometown. The ballot lists the governor tickets by last name only and prints "Candidate for Re-election" under incumbents in every other race, and this list does the same.

• U.S. senator: Edward J. Markey of Malden, Democratic, candidate for re-election; John Deaton of Bolton, Republican; Shiva Ayyadurai of Belmont, Independent; Joe Tache of Boston, Socialism and Liberation.
• Governor and lieutenant governor, one vote for a ticket: Healey and Driscoll, Democratic; Minogue and Oliver, Republican; James and Kittredge, Independent.
• Attorney general: Andrea Joy Campbell of Dartmouth, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Michael C. Walsh of Lynnfield, Republican.
• Secretary of state: William Francis Galvin of Boston, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Anne R. Brensley of Wayland, Republican.
• Treasurer: Deborah B. Goldberg of Brookline, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Elizabeth Dionne of Belmont, Republican.
• Auditor: Diana DiZoglio of Methuen, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Al Ozonoff of Medford, Libertarian.
• U.S. representative, 4th District: Jake Auchincloss of Newton, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Thomas Stalcup of Brookline, Republican.
• Governor's Council, 1st District: Joseph C. Ferreira of Swansea, Democratic, candidate for re-election, the only name on the ballot.
• State senator, 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District: Kelly A. Dooner of Taunton, Republican, candidate for re-election, the only name on the ballot.
• Bristol County district attorney: Seth Thomas Aitken of Swansea, Republican; Christopher Matthew Markey of Dartmouth, Democratic.
• Bristol County register of probate: Thomas Cleary Hoye Jr. of Taunton, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Melanie Patenaude Layden of Taunton, Independent.
• Bristol County treasurer: Christopher T. Saunders of New Bedford, Democratic, candidate for re-election, the only name on the ballot.
• Bristol County commissioner: John Thomas Saunders of New Bedford, Democratic, candidate for re-election, the only name on the ballot.

Both candidates for register of probate live in Taunton, and the race is in our register of probate story. SC360 also looked at the district attorney candidates' campaign money, and the 4th District race is in our story on Auchincloss and Stalcup.

Your state representative race depends on your precinct

Each ballot style carries its ward and precinct list in its heading:

• 3rd Bristol, ballot style 164, for Ward 1 Precincts A and B and all of Wards 2, 5, 7 and 8: Lisa M. Field of Taunton, Democratic, candidate for re-election; Lawrence Joseph Quintal of Taunton, Republican.
• 5th Bristol, ballot style 172, for Ward 1 Precinct A1, Ward 4 Precinct B1 and all of Ward 6: Justin E. Thurber of Somerset, Republican, candidate for re-election; Jamison D. Souza of Somerset, Democratic.
• 12th Bristol, ballot style 193, for all of Ward 3 and Ward 4 Precincts A and B: Norman J. Orrall of Lakeville, Republican, candidate for re-election, the only name on the ballot.

Two polling places serve precincts in different House districts. At the former temporary City Hall, 141 Oak St., Ward 1 Precinct A votes in the 3rd Bristol and Precinct A1 in the 5th. At East Taunton Elementary School, 58R Stevens St., Ward 4 Precinct B votes in the 12th Bristol and Precinct B1 in the 5th. Two voters at the same polling place can have different House races on their ballots.

The three House races are in our Taunton state representative races story, and every South Coast House and Senate race is in our legislative races story.

Eight Bristol-Plymouth school committee contests

The ballot tells Taunton voters, "You may vote for every position on the Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School District Committee, regardless of where you reside in the District." Each seat is for two years and belongs to one member town:

• Taunton, vote for two: Estele Christine Borges and Louis Borges Jr., both of Taunton and both candidates for re-election, the only names on the ballot.
• Berkley: Richard J. Spada Jr., candidate for re-election, and Jacqueline Machamer, both of Berkley. This is the only contested school committee seat.
• Bridgewater: Michael Joseph Dolan of Bridgewater, candidate for re-election.
• Dighton: Edward Freeman Dutra Jr. of Dighton, candidate for re-election.
• Freetown: no candidate is printed, only a write-in line.
• Middleborough: George L. Randall III of Middleborough, candidate for re-election.
• Raynham: Timothy J. Holick of Raynham, candidate for re-election.
• Rehoboth: James W. Clark of Rehoboth, candidate for re-election.

The nine statewide questions

Questions 1 to 8 are proposed laws that reached the ballot by initiative petition after the Legislature took no vote on them before May 6, 2026, and Question 9 is a referendum on a firearms law the Legislature passed in July 2024, as the ballot and the Secretary's Information for Voters guide describe them. For each question, here is what it is about, drawn from the Attorney General's official summary printed on the ballot, and then what a yes vote would do, quoted from the ballot. On Questions 1 to 8, a no vote leaves current law as it is.

• Question 1, Expanding the Public Records Law. What it is about: whether the state public records law should cover the Legislature and the governor's office. The proposed law would make most records they hold public records, but would exempt documents about developing public policy and lawmakers' communications with constituents who ask for help getting government benefits or services or dealing with a government agency. A yes vote "would make most records held by the Legislature and the Office of the Governor public records under the Massachusetts Public Records Law."
• Question 2, Collective Bargaining for CPCS Employees. What it is about: union rights for employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state agency set up so that people who cannot afford a lawyer get one in criminal and some family law cases, as the Legislature's committee report in the Secretary's guide describes it. The proposed law would let those employees bargain collectively with the agency and would have the agency ask the governor for the money to pay for any contract it signs. A yes vote "would specify that Committee for Public Counsel Services employees may form a union to collectively bargain with their employer."
• Question 3, State Primary Elections. What it is about: how candidates for state offices reach the November ballot. The proposed law would replace separate party primaries with one primary listing every candidate, whatever their party, and the top two vote getters would advance. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run together in the primary, and a group whose statewide candidate drew at least 3% of primary ballots would get party status. A yes vote "would eliminate separate party primaries for state elections and require a single primary in which all candidates appear on one ballot, voters could vote for any candidate, and the top two candidates would advance to the general election."
• Question 4, Election Day Registration. What it is about: registering to vote on Election Day itself. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, the proposed law would let an eligible person register, or update their address, at the polling place in their own precinct during voting hours by showing proof of residency and signing a written oath. Someone without proof of residency could cast a provisional ballot that counts only if they bring the proof back in time. A yes vote "would permit eligible citizens to register to vote or to update their voter registration address at their polling place on Election Day."
• Question 5, State Revenue Limit and Rebate. What it is about: a cap on how much tax revenue the state can collect in a year. Starting July 1, 2027, the proposed law would hold each year's state revenue to the year before's, plus the average growth of Massachusetts wages and salaries over the last three years, refund anything over the cap to taxpayers the next year and count revenue from the surtax on incomes over $1 million toward the cap. A yes vote "would change the limit on state revenue collection, tying it to prior year collections plus average wage and salary growth, and provide for a rebate of revenue exceeding that limit."
• Question 6, Natural Resource Conservation Fund. What it is about: setting aside some state sales tax money for conservation. The proposed law would create a Nature for All Fund that, subject to the Legislature's appropriation, would receive 50% of state taxes on the sale and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses in its first year and 100% after July 1, 2028. The money could conserve or restore land to protect drinking water, rivers, lakes, coasts, farms and forests, and create or care for parks and trails, through state agencies, cities and towns, conservation charities and tribal governments. A yes vote "would create a fund that could be utilized for natural resource conservation that would receive some state taxes collected on the sale and use of sporting goods and recreational vehicles, and the use of golf courses."
• Question 7, Single Family Homes. What it is about: building single-family homes on smaller lots. The proposed law would allow a single-family home in any residentially zoned area on a lot of at least 5,000 square feet with at least 50 feet of frontage on the street and access to public sewer and water. Cities and towns could still reasonably regulate the homes' height, distance from neighboring buildings, open space, parking and short-term rentals. A yes vote "would allow single-family homes to be built on lots of 5,000 square feet or more in residential areas, subject to reasonable local regulation of certain aspects of those homes."
• Question 8, Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana. What it is about: ending legal retail sales of recreational marijuana. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, the proposed law would repeal the laws that legalize, regulate and tax those sales, while letting people 21 and older possess, or give another person 21 or older, up to 1 ounce, with no more than 5 grams of concentrate. Possessing 1 to 2 ounces would bring a $100 civil penalty. Licensed recreational businesses could apply on an expedited basis to become medical marijuana dispensaries, and the Cannabis Control Commission would regulate only the medical market. A yes vote "would prohibit the legalization, regulation, and taxation of the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana, and change the penalties for possession of marijuana."
• Question 9, Firearms Regulation. What it is about: whether to keep a state gun law the House passed 124 to 33 and the Senate passed 35 to 5 on July 18, 2024. Among its changes, the law lets school administrators and licensed health care providers ask a court for an extreme risk protection order, requires serial numbers on all firearms except antiques and relics and penalizes untraceable "ghost gun" firearms, requires a person to be 21 to own semiautomatic rifles or shotguns, and bars carrying firearms in government buildings, polling places and schools, with certain exceptions. A yes vote "would keep in place the law, which increases the regulation of firearms, including ghost guns, machine guns, and assault-style weapons," and a no vote would repeal it.

Arguments for and against each question, as the Secretary's guide prints them, are in our guide to the nine questions.

Where to vote

Taunton's 18 precincts vote at 12 polling places, the same places as the city's list of polling locations updated March 26, 2025, and the warrant.

Mail ballots today

The deadline to leave a mail ballot in the city's ballot box is 8 p.m. today, the Elections Department's calendar says. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by today. Those mailed from inside the United States must reach the Elections Department by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and those from outside the country by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, according to a notice from Director of Elections Mark L. Pacheco, which says the office will be open until 5 p.m. both days. The Elections Department answers questions at 508-821-1044.

Results tonight

Election night results for Taunton and every South Coast community will be posted on the SC360 Election Center after 8 p.m., as each clerk releases them. SC360's interactive voter guide, Your South Coast ballot, race by race, lets you pick your town and, in split cities like Taunton, your ward and precinct to see your own races, and what to bring to the polls is in our Election Day guide.

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

Notes

Every fact comes from Taunton's posted sample ballots, the city's executed state election warrant, its list of polling locations, its election calendar, the Elections Department's mail ballot deadline notice and the Secretary of the Commonwealth's 2026 Information for Voters guide, all listed below. We read them Nov. 3. Names, parties, hometowns and the incumbent mark are as the ballots print them, and the yes-vote statements are quoted from the ballot. Each question's description summarizes the Attorney General's summary printed on the ballot; the description of the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Question 2 is from the Legislature's committee report in the Secretary's guide. We compared the three ballot styles race by race, counted the contests, precincts and polling places ourselves and 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 (6)

1. City of Taunton: Sample Ballots 11.3.26 General Election (styles 164, 172 and 193)Every race, candidate, party, hometown and incumbent mark in ballot order; the wards and precincts for each style; the Bristol-Plymouth committee seats and instruction; Questions 1 to 9 on two cards. Read Nov. 3, 2026 (file unchanged since Oct. 31).
2. City of Taunton: Warrant for 2026 State Election (fully executed)Polling place for each of the 18 precincts; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the offices; Questions 1 to 9 and no other; signed Sept. 29, 2026. Read Nov. 3, 2026.
3. City of Taunton: List of Polling Locations, updated March 26, 2025Ward, precinct, polling place and street address. Read Nov. 3, 2026.
4. City of Taunton: November 3rd State Election Calendar of EventsBallot box drop-off deadline 8 p.m. Nov. 3; mail ballot deadlines Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. Read Nov. 3, 2026.
5. City of Taunton: Last date and hour to receive Vote by Mail ballots, State ElectionNov. 6 at 5 p.m. from within the U.S., Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. from outside the U.S., postmarked by Nov. 3; phone 508-821-1044; Mark L. Pacheco, Director of Elections. Read Nov. 3, 2026.
6. Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 Information for VotersVoters in line by 8 p.m. may vote; question titles, the Attorney General's summaries and the yes and no statements, which match the ballot; the Legislature's committee report on Question 2. Read Nov. 3, 2026.

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