Voting
Welcome to the Wheelock College Election 2012 Center!
Read below for important voting deadlines
Massachusetts
Wednesday, October 17th - MA Voter Registration Deadline
* When registering by mail, your voter registration form must be postmarked by the deadline for you to be eligible
12 p.m., Monday, November 5th - Absentee Ballot Request Form Deadline
Please note: You will need to request an absentee ballot from your local city/town clerk's office several weeks in advance of the election (Nov. 6th) in order for you to receive and return your ballot before polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 6th. Please see below for further information on the absentee ballot process.
Information for All 50 States
Register to Vote at Rock the Vote by clicking here
Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the address printed on the form.
After you register, apply for an absentee ballot from your state at Long Distance Voter by clicking here.
Remember-most states have deadlines to apply for an absentee ballot. Most are at the end of October, but some, like Rhode Island, are as early as October 16th. Be sure to get your application in on time!
Tuesday, November 6th - Election Day!
Important Events
2012 MA Senate Debate Schedule
• Sept. 20th at 7 p.m., WBZ-TV debate.
• Monday, Oct. 1st U-Mass Lowell debate
• Wednesday, Oct. 10th-Springfield debate
• Tuesday, Oct. 30th WGBH-TV debate
2012 Presidential Debate Schedule
• Wednesday, Oct. 3rd, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time at University of Denver in Denver, CO
Moderator: Jim Lehrer (Host of NewsHour on PBS)
• Tuesday, October 16th, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY
Moderator: Candy Crowley (CNN Chief Political Correspondent)
• Monday, October 22nd, 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Host of Face the Nation on CBS)
Vice Presidential Debate Schedule
• Thursday, October 11th 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Centre College in Danville, KY
Moderator: Martha Raddatz (ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent)
MA Absentee Ballot Information
MA allows voters to vote by absentee ballot if they:
• Will be absent from your city or town on election day, and/or
• Have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling
place, and/or
• Cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.
Absentee ballots can be mailed or completed, by arrangement, at your local/city town hall. Here's how to vote absentee:
1. Click here for the MA absentee ballot request form - http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee_ballot.pdf
2. Use the step-by-step directions to fully complete the request form.
3. Mail the request form to your city/town hall as soon as possible. You can contact your MA city/town hall with any questions. MA city/town hall directory - http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleclk/clkidx.htm
4. Your ballot will then be sent to you via mail, if requested.
5. Complete the ballot and send it back to you city/town ASAP!
Please note that ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 6th, in order to be counted! If you are voting by mail, please be sure to leave sufficient time for regular mail arrival.
Click here to view an Interactive Electoral Map from the New York Times
Not sure who to vote for? Take a comprehensive quiz on the issues to learn which Presidential candidate best represents your interests here: http://www.isidewith.com/
For local races, check out: www.realclearpolitics.com/elections
From here you can select maps of the Senate and House races, click on your state, read the bios of each candidate and get connected to their campaign websites.
Check this page for information on the 2012 election and for Wheelock's easy-to-read fact sheets for an overview of each candidate and their stance on Education, Healthcare, and Job Creation and the Economy.
Presidential Candidates
Democrat
Barack Obama
VP: Joe Biden
Republican
Mitt Romney
VP: Paul Ryan
Green
Jill Stein
Cheri Honkala
Libertarian
Gary Johnson
VP: Jim Gray
Constitution
Virgil Goode
VP: Jim Clymer
Click here for an electoral map based on the latest aggregate polling numbers.
Want to predict the 2012 election yourself? Click here to chart your candidate’s path to the presidency with this easy-to-use interactive electoral map.
Massachusetts Senate Race 2012
Republican
Scott Brown
Democrat
Elizabeth Warren
Election Centers
The Boston Globe
The Springfield Republican
Click here for fundraising information on each candidate from the Center for Responsive Politics.
*Note: Senator John Kerry won reelection in 2008. His current Senate term will expire in 2014.
Chronology of the Right to Vote: The United States Constitution
1804: 12th Amendment
Concerns the process by which electors shall vote for the President and Vice-President of the Unites States.
1868: 14th Amendment
Section 1: Defines what it is to be a U.S. citizen: "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." This confirms that African-Americans are indeed U.S. citizens.
Section 2: Discusses apportionment for representatives. Makes clear that the vote lies with male citizens 21 years of age and older. This de facto legitimizes the exclusion of women from politics.
1870: 15th Amendment
Section 1: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
This implicitly leaves open restrictions based on property, literacy, tax-paying status, etc.
1920: 19th Amendment
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
1951: 22nd Amendment
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
1971: 26th Amendment
Section 1: The right of citizens of the United States who are 18 years of age or older to vote.