General Election Information and Deadlines

11:18AM / Friday, October 04, 2024Print Story | Email Story

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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Pittsfield Schools Schedule Morningside, Budget Hearings This Week

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:23AM / Monday, April 06, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee will hold another public hearing for the potential closure of Morningside Community School.

On Thursday, April 9, at 6 p.m., community members will have the chance to give feedback in the Reid Middle School library. Last month, the Pittsfield Public Schools announced the possible closure of Morningside, which serves elementary grades, for the 2026-2027 school year and redistribution of its students to other city schools.

In the last couple of weeks, the district has solicited input from employees and community members through meetings at the school.

Morningside Community School was built in the mid-1970s with an open classroom concept. Morningside serves about 374 students and has a 7 percent accountability score, outperformed by 93 percent of the state.

For fiscal year 2027, the district has allocated about $5.2 million for the school. The committee has also requested a version of the proposed $87.2 million district budget with Morningside closed.

Pittsfield has another open concept school, Conte Community School, that is planned to consolidate with Crosby Elementary School, and possibly Stearns Elementary School, in a new building on the Crosby site by 2030. The status of the project's owner's project manager will be discussed on Tuesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. at Taconic High School during the School Building Needs Commission meeting.

That leaves the school officials wondering if Morningside students could have better educational outcomes if resources followed them to other nearby schools. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips has stressed that a decision has not yet been made.

Considerations for the school’s closure include: The feasibility of the facility to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment with an open campus design, the funding allocation needed to ensure Morningside students can have equitable learning opportunities, and declining enrollment across Pittsfield elementary schools.