Nine statewide ballot questions will greet Needham voters on Nov. 3, tying the record for the most questions on a single Massachusetts ballot, set in 1994.
The League of Women Voters of Needham published a non-partisan candidate guide listing every race on the local ballot. Two Needham legislators are running unopposed for re-election: state Rep. Josh Tarsky, a Democrat representing the 13th Norfolk District, and state Sen. Rebecca Rausch, a Democrat representing the Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District. Both ran unopposed in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, and no Republican filed for either seat.
The contested race closest to home is the Fourth Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Newton, a Democrat, faces Republican Thomas Stalcup of Brookline.
Needham voters will also choose in the U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Edward Markey, Republican John Deaton, independent Shiva Ayyadurai and Joe Tache of the Socialism and Liberation party. A Markey-Deaton debate is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at WBZ Studios in Boston, MassLive reported.
The governor's race features incumbent Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, both Democrats, against Republican Michael Minogue and running mate Robert Oliver. An independent ticket of James and Kittredge is also on the ballot.
The nine ballot questions tie the 1994 record, according to Secretary of State Bill Galvin, as CBS Boston reported. Needham Town Clerk Louise Miller warned voters to expect longer wait times on Election Day because of the lengthy ballot.
"People who need additional time will find early voting convenient because it is not as crowded, not as stressful," Miller told CBS Boston in an Oct. 6 report.
Two other contested races appear on the Needham ballot. The Norfolk District Attorney's race pits Djuna Elizabeth Perkins of Dedham, a Democrat, against unenrolled candidate Joseph Michael Pagliarulo of Millis. For Governor's Council District 2, Democrat Tamisha Civil faces Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr. The register of probate, county treasurer and county commissioner races are all uncontested.
Dedham voters face a different ballot. Dedham falls in the Eighth Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch faces Republican Robert Gerald Burke. The Dedham state representative race is the 11th Norfolk District, where Paul McMurtry runs unopposed, according to the Dedham specimen ballot.
How to vote
Early voting runs Oct. 17 through Oct. 30 at Needham Town Hall. Hours vary by day, with extended hours on Tuesday, Oct. 27, until 6 p.m.
The voter registration deadline is Saturday, Oct. 24. A registration session runs at Town Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m.
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. The full LWV candidate guide is available online.






