Westwood Election Guide 2012

As we look ahead to Tuesday’s elections, Westwood Patch is devoted to bring you the information you need about every race in town. Bookmark this page for updates.

Voting Info

The most important thing to know about the election is who and what is on the ballot. Luckily, Town Clerk Dottie Powers gave Patch a sample ballot so residents have the opportunity to look it over to become familiar with the various political races.

There are four voting locations in Westwood. Precinct 1 is at the Council on Aging (60 Nahatan St.). Precinct 2 is located at the Sheehan School (549 Pond St.). Precinct 3 is at the Hanlon School (790 Gay St). Precinct 4 is at the Downey School (250 Downey St.).

To find out which location you're supposed to vote at, visit this page at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website. You can also then click to see which candidates and questions are on the ballot.

Races

President

• Barack Obama-Joe Biden, Democrat, Candidate for re-election
• Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan, Republican
• Gary Johnson-Jim Gray, Libertarian
• Jill Stein-Cheri Honkala, Green-Rainbow

Senator in Congress

• Scott Brown, Republican from Wrentham, Candidate for re-election
• Elizabeth Warren, Democrat from Cambridge

Representative in Congress- Eighth District

• Stephen Lynch, Democrat from Boston, Candidate for re-election
• Joe Selvaggi, Republican from Boston

Councillor- Second District

• Robert Jubinville, Democrat from Milton
• Earl Sholley, Republican from Norfolk

Senator in General Court- Norfolk and Suffolk County

• Michael Rush, Democrat from Boston, Candidate for re-election

Representative in General Court- Eleventh District

• Paul McMurtry, Democrat from Dedham, Candidate for re-election

Clerk of Courts- Norfolk County

• Walter Timilty, Jr., Democrat from Milton, Candidate for re-election

Register of Deeds- Norfolk County

• William O'Donnell, Democrat from Norwood, Candidate for re-election

County Commissioner- Norfolk County

• John Gillis, Democrat from Quincy, Candidate for re-election
• Francis O'Brien, Democrat from Dedham, Candidate for re-election

Ballot Issues

• Ballot Issue: Question 1 — Right to Repair: "This proposed law would prohibit any motor vehicle manufacturer, starting with model year 2015, from selling or leasing, either directly or through a dealer, a new motor vehicle without allowing the owner to have access to the same diagnostic and repair information made available to the manufacturer's dealers and in-state authorized repair facilities."

• Ballot Issue: Question 2 — Death with Dignity: "This proposed law would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient's request, to end that patient's life. To qualify, a patient would have to be an adult resident who (1) is medically determined to be mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions; (2) has been diagnosed by attending and consulting physicians as having an incurable, irreversible disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, cause death within six months; and (3) voluntarily expresses a wish to die and has made an informed decision. The proposed law states that the patient would ingest the medicine in order to cause death in a humane and dignified manner."

• Ballot Issue: Question 3 — Medical Marijuana: "This proposed law would eliminate state criminal and civil penalties for the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients. To qualify, a patient must have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV-positive status or AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, or multiple sclerosis. The patient would also have to obtain a written certification, from a physician with whom the patient has a bona fide physician-patient relationship, that the patient has a specific debilitating medical condition and would likely obtain a net benefit from medical use of marijuana."