General Election Information and Deadlines

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, for the office of President and Vice President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor's Councillor, State Senator, State Representative, Register of Deeds and Clerk of Courts. 

In addition, there are five questions that will appear on the ballot. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early/absentee ballots are not expected to be available until the week of Oct. 7, 2024. The Registrar of Voters Office will mail out any requested ballots once they are received.

Saturday, Oct. 26, is the deadline to register to vote or to make changes to voter registration. To be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.

Early voting will begin on Saturday, Oct. 19 and continue through Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.

Hours and voting locations may vary from community to community. Check with your city or town clerk for specific details.

A person is eligible to vote by absentee ballot if they are a registered voter and will be unable to vote at the polls on Election Day for any one of the following three reasons: (1) absence from the city during normal polling hours, (2) physical disability preventing you from going to the polls, (3) religious beliefs. 

Voters must first complete an absentee ballot application. The deadline to vote in person by absentee ballot is noon on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Voters may vote by mail or in person. Vote by Mail applications are also available for anyone who wishes to vote early by mail. The last day to request a ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. You must first complete an application to receive a ballot by mail.

Once a voter has cast an early voting or absentee ballot, the voter may no longer vote at the polls on Election Day.

 
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State Housing Secretary Tours Downtown Pittsfield Developments

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state's new secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on Monday saw how local developers are transforming historic buildings into downtown housing units. 

Secretary Juana Matias, appointed to the role in February, toured the former St. Joseph's High School on Maplewood Avenue and the near-complete Wright Building Block on North Street.   

Matias observed local leaders working collaboratively to dismantle bottlenecks in housing production, something she said the administration wants to see across all 351 municipalities.  

"This is a perfect model of the partnerships we want to see, and we love coming to the ground and seeing how people are leveraging public taxpayer dollars to help address the issue of our time, which is housing production," she said after the tours. 

Developer David Carver, of Scarafoni Associates & CT Management Group, is seeking support from the state Housing Development Incentive Program to transform St. Joe's into apartments, and Allegrone Companies has secured millions from the program towards the Wright Building renovation

They first visited the shuttered school that functioned as a shelter during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, greeted by broken windows and leaving with Carver's vision. 

The plan is to transform the school with good bones into 19 apartments, 20 percent designated affordable, and 30 percent of the building for commercial use.  Units are expected to cost between $1,700 and $1,900 per month; 14 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom units are planned. 

The project team is in talks with the nearby Berkshire Family YMCA to expand their childcare activities to the building's lower level.  Residents and the daycare would use different entrances. 

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