The days are dwindling away to the Nov. 6 election, where Mission Hill residents will have four different candidates to choose from for the U.S. presidency. Mission Hill residents will also help decide a U.S. Senate race and several ballot questions.
U.S. President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are the candidates for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Gary Johnson is representing the Libertarian Party on the ballot, while Jill Stein got the nod from the Green Party.
Incumbent Scott Brown (Republican) faces Elizabeth Warren for a U.S. Senate seat. Also on the federal level, Democrat U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano (7th District) will face Independent Karla Romero.
“For many months now, I have been spending time all over the 7th District, in the new areas as well as areas I currently represent, talking with voters and asking for their support,” said Capuano. “I am energized by the response and grateful for the time folks are taking to share their thoughts about the issues facing our country.”
The 7th District recently underwent changes after redistricting, but none were to Mission Hill.
The Gazette attempted to contact his opponent, Karla Romero, but the email listed on her campaign website is no longer functional. According her website (votekarlaromero.com), Romero wants to bring down the country’s budget deficit through eliminating government waste, improve early education, make college students earned income tax-free and have comprehensive immigration reform.
On the state level, Democratic Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez (15th Suffolk District) and Democratic Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz (2nd Suffolk District) both will not face an opponent in the election.
For the Governor’s Council, which confirms judicial appointments, among other duties, Democrat Christopher Iannella does not face a challenger for the District 4 seat.
Mission Hill residents will have the opportunity to decide several ballot questions.
Question 1 concerns automobile manufacturers being required to provide diagnostics to consumers and repair shops. But legislation recently was passed and then signed by Gov. Deval Patrick that requires automobile manufacturers to do just that. The question, though, will be on the ballot, and one advocacy group is still urging residents to vote yes.
Question 2, if approved, would allow terminally ill patients who have been given six months or less to live the ability to obtain lethal drugs to commit suicide.
Voting yes on Question 3 would legalize medical marijuana.
Mission Hill residents also have the chance to vote on two non-binding ballot questions. One asks if the state representative from the district should vote in favor of a resolution that calls for Congress to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
The Citizens United ruling was a landmark 2010 decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political donations by corporations and unions.
The other non-binding question on the ballot, which was backed by the Jamaica Plain-based Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants, urges the U.S. Congress to tax the rich, prevent budget cuts, end the Afghanistan war and invest in jobs.