Massachusetts voters to decide the ballot questions, the Senate race

President

In 1972, Massachusetts became the only state to support Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern over incumbent Republican Richard Nixon. Since then, Ronald Reagan was the only modern-day Republican presidential candidate to hold the state is Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. Hillary Clinton easily defeated Donald Trump in 2016, garnering nearly 61 percent of the vote. Massachusetts has 11 electoral votes.

___

U.S. congress

Markey hopes to fend off a challenge from Republican Kevin O’Connor, a Dover attorney who has positioned himself as a candidate who can help clean the house in Washington.

The 74-year-old has served for decades in Congress, first in the House and later in the Senate. He faced one of the biggest challenges in his career earlier this year when US Democratic Representative Joe Kennedy III tried unsuccessfully to oust him during the Democratic primary.

The other US Senator from the state – Democrat Elizabeth Warren – is not ready for re-election until 2024.

___

Home area 2

Democratic Representative Jim McGovern, who represents the state’s second congressional district, hopes to defeat Republican rival Tracy Lovorn. McGovern, who was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, is the chair of the House Rules Committee and a prominent member of the Nutrition and Oversight Subcommittee. Lovorn describes herself as a “mom, healthcare provider, operating director and small business owner.”

___

Home area 4

In the state’s only open U.S. House of Representatives race, Democratic Newton city councilor Jake Auchincloss, who served as a captain in the Marine Corps, confronts Republican Julie Hall, who is also a veteran, to become the state’s newest member of the congressional delegation. Auchincloss came out at the head of a crowded Democratic first plaza to grab the party nomination. The seat is currently occupied by Kennedy, who chose not to seek re-election after he decided to challenge Marky.

___

Home area 5

Representative Catherine Clark, who represents the state’s Fifth Congressional District, is facing a challenge from Republican Caroline Colarooso. Clark is a member of the Appropriations Committee and three subcommittees. In 2018, she was elected to the position of Vice President of the Democratic Assembly, making her one of the top Democrats in the House of Representatives. Kolaroso served 27 years with the United States Postal Service and is a member of the Stoneham Selection Board.

___

Home area 6

Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, who represents the sixth congressional district, hopes to defeat his Republican rival, John Paul Moran. Moulton, who ran for president briefly last year, is a former Marine who served four tours of Iraq. He is the vice president of the budget committee and a member of the House Armed Forces Committee. Moran describes himself as an Irish Catholic and lifelong entrepreneur, space telescope scientist at MIT, Boston University MBA and gay conservative.

___

Home area 9

Democratic Representative William Keating, who represents the Ninth Congressional District, hopes to overcome a challenge from Republican Helen Brady, who has worked with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as business director at Boston Pops, and freelance Michael Manley. Keating serves on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees.

___

Other priestly races

US Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, who chairs the Powerful Ways and Means Committee, faces no opposition in the 1st congressional district. Nor did Representative Lori Trahan in the Third Congressional District. Rep. Stephen Lynch, who represents the state’s Eighth Congressional District, has an independent opponent in Stoton teacher John Lott, and Representative Ayanna Presley, who represents the 7th Congressional District, is being challenged by Independent Roy Owens.

___

State office

Democrats are expected to maintain their lopsided lockdown on both the House and Senate in Massachusetts, giving Republican lawmakers few levers of power on Beacon Hill outside the governor’s office, which is controlled by Republican Charlie Baker.

___

The right to repair

The first question on the ballot would expand the country’s “right to reform” law by giving car owners and autonomous car shops more access to data on vehicle maintenance and repair.

Auto repair shops and auto parts suppliers said the measure will ensure car owners have access to the repair information needed to bring their cars to auto stores as vehicles become more computerized. Automakers ask the question as data grabbing by third parties wishing to collect personal information about the vehicle.

___

Vote for the selection ranking

The second question would make major changes to the way votes are cast and counted in future Massachusetts elections by introducing ranked-for-vote voting – a system that would give voters the option to rank candidates according to their preference: one for their best choice, two for their second choice, etc. that.

If no candidate obtains a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate who received the least number of votes will be disqualified. Voters who ranked the disqualified candidate as their first choice will instead count their votes for their second choice. The process is repeated until one candidate gets the majority of the vote and wins.

___

Vote

Early voting and voting by mail proved popular in Massachusetts during the pandemic, particularly in the white suburbs where voters were quick to adopt alternatives to personal ballot. Democratic Secretary of State William Galvin said the election could exceed the record of 3.4 million votes cast in 2016.

___

Find the full AP electoral coverage at APNews.com/Election2020.