hill country observerThe independent newspaper of eastern New York, southwestern Vermont and the Berkshires

 

News & Issues October 2024

 

ELECTION 2024 PREVIEW

 

Here are the candidates and referendum questions on ballots around the region for the Nov. 5 general election. Because of space limitations, uncontested races are not included. A guide to political party abbreviations is at right. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*).

 

MASSACHUSETTS

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 26. Vote-by-mail application deadline is Oct. 29. Early voting is offered Oct. 19 through Nov. 1; schedules vary by town and city and will be posted by Oct. 11 at www.voteinMA.com. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received by 5 p.m. Nov. 8 (or by Nov. 15 if postmarked from outside the United States).

 

PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Shiva Ayyadurai and Crystal Ellis (i)
Claudia De La Cruz and Karina Garcia (SL)
Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz (D)
Chase Oliver and Mike Ter Maat (L)
Jill Stein and Gloria Caballero Roca (G-R)
Donald J. Trump and JD Vance (R)

 

U.S. SENATOR
John Deaton (R) of Swansea
* Elizabeth Ann Warren (D) of Cambridge

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE -- 1st District
Nadia Donya Milleron (i) of Sheffield
* Richard E. Neal (D) of Springfield

 

STATE SENATOR (Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire Dist)
* Paul W. Mark (D) of Becket
David Rosa (R) of Dighton

 

STATE REPRESENTATIVE -- 3rd Berkshire District
Leigh Susan Davis (D) of Great Barrington
Marybeth F. Mitts (i) of Lenox

 

Ballot Propositions
Question 1 -- Auditing the Legislature
A Yes vote would specify that the state auditor has the authority to audit the Legislature.

Question 2 -- Eliminate MCAS requirement
A Yes vote would eliminate the requirement that students pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System in order to graduate from high school.

Question 3 -- Unionization for rideshare drivers
A Yes vote would give rideshare drivers who work for companies like Uber and Lyft the option to join a union.

Question 4 -- Legalization of psychedelic substances
A Yes vote would allow people over 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision and create a commission to regulate those substances.

Question 5 -- Minimum wage for tipped workers
A Yes vote would raise the minimum hourly wage for tipped workers to the full state minimum wage in increments over five years, at which point employers could pool all tips and distribute them to all non-management workers.

 

 

NEW YORK


The voter registration deadline is Oct. 26. Early in-person voting is offered Oct. 26 through Nov. 3 at designated sites in each county. Early mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received by Nov. 12 if mailed -- or may be delivered in person to a polling place or county elections board by 9 p.m. Nov. 5. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 5.

 

PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz (D, WF)
Donald J. Trump and JD Vance (R, C)

 

U.S. SENATOR
* Kirsten Gillibrand (D, WF)
Michael D. Sapraicone (R, C)
Diane Sare (i)

 

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE – 19th District
(11 counties including Columbia and most of Rensselaer)
* Marcus Molinaro (R, C)
Josh Riley (D, WF)

 

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE – 20th District
(Albany, Schenectady, southern Saratoga and parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties)
* Paul D. Tonko (D, WF)
Kevin M. Waltz (R, C)

 

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE – 21ST District
(15 counties incl. Warren, Washington, northern Saratoga)
Paula Collins (D, WF)
* Elise M. Stefanik (R, C)


STATE SENATE

 

41st District (Columbia, Greene and parts of Ulster and Dutchess counties)
* Michelle Hinchey (D, WF)
Patrick Sheehan (R, C)

 

43rd district (Rensselaer and parts of Albany and Washington counties)
* Jake Ashby (R, C)
Alvin Gamble (D)


44th district (Saratoga and part of Schenectady County)
Minita J. Sanghvi (D, WF)
* James N. Tedisco (R, C)

 

STATE ASSEMBLY

 

106th district (parts of Columbia and Dutchess counties)
* Didi Barrett (D, WF)
Stephan L. Krakower (R, C)


107th district (parts of Columbia, Rensselaer, Washington and Albany counties)
* Scott H. Bendett (R, C)
Chloe E. Pierce (D)

 

112th district (parts of Saratoga, Schenectady and Fulton)
Joe Seeman (D, WF)
* Mary Beth Walsh (R, C)

 

113th district (parts of Saratoga, Warren and Washington)
Jeremy Messina (R, C)
* Carrie Woerner (D)

 

STATEWIDE Ballot Proposal
A Yes vote would amend the state constitution to protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex “including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”

 

SARATOGA COUNTY TREASURER
* JoAnn Kupferman (R, i)
Michele D. Madigan (D)

 

VERMONT

 

New voters may register through Election Day, Nov. 5. Mail ballots were sent to all active registered voters by Oct. 1. Mailed ballots must be received (whether returned by mail or in person) by 7 p.m. Nov. 5. Polls are open Nov. 5 from at least 10 a.m. (earlier in many towns) until 7 p.m.

 

PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Claudia De La Cruz and Karina Garcia (SL)
Rachele Fruit and Dennis Richter (SW)
Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz (D)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan (i)
Chase Oliver and Mike Ter Maat (L)
Donald J. Trump and JD Vance (R)
Cornel West and Melina Abdullah (PJ)

 

GOVENOR
Esther Charlestin (D, P) of Middlebury
June Goodband (PJ) of Springfield
Kevin Hoyt (i) of Bennington
Eli “Poa” Mutino (i) of Barre
* Phil Scott (R) of Berlin

 

Lieutenant Governor
Ian Diamondstone (PJ) of Putney
John S. Rodgers (R) of Glover
* David Zuckerman (D, P) of Hinesburg

 

U.S. SENATOR
Steve Berry (i) of Manchester
Mark Stewart Greenstein (i) of Brattleboro
Matt Hill (L) of Burke
Gerald Malloy (R) of Weathersfield
* Bernie Sanders (i) of Burlington
Justin Schoville (PJ) of Barnard

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
* Becca Balint (D) of Brattleboro
Marc Coester (R, L) of Westminster
Jill “Jessy” Diamondstone (PJ) of Dummerston
Adam Ortiz (i) of Newport


STATE TREASURER
Joshua Bechhoefer (R) of Cornwall
* Mike Pieciak (D) of Winooski

Secretary of state
* Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D) of Bradford
H. Brooke Paige (R) of Washington

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL
* Charity Clark (D) of Williston
Kevin Gustafson (PJ) of Rutland Town
Ture Nelson (R) of Berlin


STATE SENATE

Bennington District (two seats)
Steve Berry (i) of Manchester
Seth Bongartz (D) of Manchester
Cynthia Browning (i) of Arlington
Joseph “Joe” Gervais (R) of Arlington
Rob Plunkett (D) of Bennington
Lawrence “Spike” Whitmire (i) of Shaftsbury

 

Rutland District (three seats)
Martha Cassel (D) of Rutland Town
* Brian “BC” Collamore (R) of Rutland Town
Dana Peterson (D) of Rutland Town
Robert J. Richards (D) of Fair Haven
* David Weeks (R) of Proctor
* Terry K. Williams (R) of Poultney


STATE HOUSE

Bennington District 1 (Pownal, Readsboro, Searsburg, Stamford and Woodford)
Bruce Busa (R) of Readsboro
Jonathan Cooper (D) of Pownal

 

Bennington District 2 (two seats; town of Bennington)
Anthony A. Cook (R)
* Timothy R. Corcoran II (D)
William “Will” Greer (D)

 

Bennington District 3 (Glastenbury, Shaftsbury, Sunderland)
* David K. Durfee (D) of Shaftsbury
Victor K. Harwood Jr. (R) of Shaftsbury

 

Bennington District 5 (two seats; Bennington, Pownal)
* Jim Carroll (D)
* Mary A. Morrissey (R)
Michael Nigro (D)

 

Bennington-Rutland District (Dorset, Landgrove, Peru, Danby, Mount Tabor)
Sandra “Sandy” Pinsonault (R) of Dorset
* Mike Rice (D) of Dorset

 

Rutland-Bennington District (Middletown Springs, Pawlet, Rupert, Wells and Tinmouth)
* Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (D) of Middletown Springs
Chris Pritchard (R) of Pawlet

 

Rutland District 2 (two seats; Clarendon, Rutland, Wallingford and West Rutland)
David Bosch (R) of Clarendon
* Tom Burditt (R) of West Rutland
Dave Potter (D) of Clarendon

 

Rutland District 4 (Rutland city and town)
Christopher Howard (R) of Rutland Town
Anna Tadio (D) of Rutland City

 

Rutland District 6 (city of Rutland)
* Mary E. Howard (D)
Cindy Laskevich (R)

 

Rutland District 7 (city of Rutland)
Chris Keyser (R)
* William Notte (D)

 

Rutland District 9 (Brandon)
* Stephanie Zak Jerome (D)
Todd Nielsen (R)

 

Rutland-Windsor District (Mount Holly, Shrewsbury and Ludlow)
Adrienne Raymond (D) of Shrewsbury
Kevin C. Winter (R) of Ludlow

 

 

 

C -- Conservative Party
D -- Democratic Party
GR -- Green-Rainbow Party
i -- independent (no party)
L -- Libertarian Party
P -- Progressive Party

PJ -- Peace and Justice Party
R -- Republican Party
SL -- Socialism & Liberation
SW -- Socialist Workers
WF -- Working Families Party