Photo: Coolidge Corner Branch Library, Brookline. Boreilly5, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (file photo). The library is one of Brookline’s early voting sites and ballot drop box locations.
Brookline voters have one week left before the Nov. 3 state election, and several deadlines are closing fast. The last day to request a mailed ballot is today, Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m., in-person early voting ends Friday, Oct. 30, and polls open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Brookline Town Clerk’s election page. This Brookline election guide covers where and when to vote, what is on the ballot and who to call with questions.
Brookline early voting: final days and locations
In-person early voting began Saturday, Oct. 17, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. The Brookline Record reported that the town offered three early voting sites on weekends: Brookline Town Hall at 333 Washington St. in Brookline Village, the Coolidge Corner Library at 31 Pleasant St., and the Putterham Library at 959 West Roxbury Parkway in South Brookline. The two weekends of early voting have now passed.
On weekdays, early voting is held only at Town Hall. The remaining weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday this week and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, the final early voting session. Residents in Washington Square, Chestnut Hill and other parts of town who want to vote before Election Day will need to go to Town Hall this week.
Mail ballots: today’s deadline and drop boxes
Requests for a mailed ballot must reach the Town Clerk by 5 p.m. today, Oct. 27, according to the town’s election calendar. The Brookline Record reported that requests can be made at BrooklineMA.gov/VoteByMail.
Voters who already have a mail ballot should return it soon. The Town Clerk’s Office says the Brookline ballot is printed on two voting cards this year, and mail voters should return both cards, the Record reported. The office recommends using one of the town’s three official ballot drop boxes, located at Town Hall, the Coolidge Corner Library and the Putterham Library. Ballots can also be mailed in the postage-prepaid envelope included in the packet. Under the deadlines the Record reported, ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 must arrive at the Town Clerk’s Office by Nov. 6 if mailed domestically, or by Nov. 13 if mailed from overseas.
Voters who requested a mail ballot but have not returned it can still vote in person, either early or on Election Day; the Town Clerk’s Office told the Record it has procedures to make sure only one ballot per voter is counted. Voters can check whether a mail or early ballot has been received at TrackMyBallotMA.com.
Election Day in Brookline: finding your polling place
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Brookline voters must vote at the polling place assigned to their precinct. Brookline has 17 precincts, and the town’s precinct and polling location maps show the boundaries. The precincts were redrawn after the 2020 census and took effect Dec. 31, 2021, so longtime residents who have not voted in person in recent years should confirm their location rather than rely on memory. The fastest way to check is the state’s “Where Do I Vote?” lookup, which uses a street address.
The voter registration deadline for this election passed on Saturday, Oct. 24, according to the state’s 2026 Information for Voters guide. Voters who are unsure whether they are registered can check their status at VoteInMA.com.
What is on the Nov. 3 ballot
Every Massachusetts voter will see nine binding statewide ballot questions, which Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin’s office describes as “the most that Massachusetts voters have ever been asked to consider.” According to the state’s official list of 2026 ballot questions, they cover:
- Question 1: expanding the Public Records Law to most records of the Legislature and the Governor’s Office
- Question 2: collective bargaining for Committee for Public Counsel Services employees
- Question 3: replacing party primaries for state offices with a single all-candidate primary
- Question 4: Election Day voter registration
- Question 5: the state revenue limit and taxpayer rebate
- Question 6: a Natural Resource Conservation Fund
- Question 7: single-family homes
- Question 8: prohibiting the retail sale of adult-use recreational marijuana
- Question 9: a referendum on the 2024 state firearms law
Questions 1 through 8 are proposed laws placed on the ballot by initiative petition. Question 9 works differently: a “yes” vote keeps the existing firearms law, and a “no” vote repeals it. The state’s guide includes summaries prepared by the Attorney General, statements of what a “yes” and “no” vote would do, fiscal estimates and arguments from supporters and opponents. Because the ballot is longer than usual, the Secretary’s office suggests voters review the guide ahead of time and bring notes to the polls. Brookline posts its sample ballots on the Town Clerk’s page, so residents can see the exact ballot for their precinct before they go.
Other Brookline civic dates to watch
The state election comes just before Brookline’s fall Town Meeting, where elected Town Meeting members will take up proposed zoning changes, resolutions and other town actions. The Boston Report’s guide to the November 2026 Brookline Town Meeting warrant explains what is on that agenda. Residents can also still weigh in on the town’s community shuttle study survey.
Contact the Brookline Town Clerk
Questions about registration, mail ballots or polling places go to Town Clerk Ben Kaufman’s office, Room 104 on the first floor of Town Hall, 333 Washington St. The office can be reached at 617-730-2010 or townclerk@brooklinema.gov. Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday. Statewide questions can go to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Citizen Information Service at 1-800-392-6090.
Sources
- Town of Brookline: Election Information and 2026 State Election calendar
- Town of Brookline: Precincts and Polling Location Maps
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 State Election Ballot Questions
- Brookline Record: Brookline early voting opens Saturday at three locations (Oct. 19, 2026)
Additional sources
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Massachusetts Information for Voters, 2026
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Where Do I Vote?
- Track My Ballot MA
Read next in Boston
Most read this week
- Boston Approves $31.5M in Tax Abatements to Restart 1,400 Homes
- Boston City Council Asks Congress to Restore Public Housing Funds
- Iran War Update Oct. 25: Trump Says U.S. ‘May Do Another Little Epic Fury’
- Keen Sword 27 Begins: U.S. and Japan Open Island Defense Drills Near Taiwan
- Strait of Hormuz Insurance Rates Explained: What War-Risk Cover Costs in 2026
Latest
- Quabbin Water Transfer: Comments Due Oct. 28 as Lawmakers Push MWRA to Withdraw
- Ebola Outbreak Passes 10,000 Cases in Congo: Country-by-Country Totals and Timeline
- Keurig Antitrust Suit Heads to Trial as Judge Rejects Bid to End Case
- Market Basket Floats 162 Apartments, Retail at Its Chelsea Flagship
- Wayfair’s $13.3M Back Bay Buildout Begins as HQ Moves to 500 Boylston