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Here's Who's On The Ballot For Boston's Preliminary Election

Voters cast early ballots at Boston City Hall ahead of the 2016 election. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Voters cast early ballots at Boston City Hall ahead of the 2016 election. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Boston voters will head to the polls on Sept. 26 for the city's preliminary municipal election.

It's a much quieter civic affair than four years ago, when an open mayoralty meant a dozen candidates were vying to get to the final runoff election. (In Boston, the two top vote-getters in the preliminary advance to the general election in November.)

This year, there are four candidates for mayor, including the incumbent, Marty Walsh. Walsh's main challenger is Roxbury City Councilor Tito Jackson.

For Boston City Council, there's no preliminary election for the four at-large councilor seats, and just four of nine district seats have preliminary elections.

Of those, the most competitive race is to fill Jackson's District 7 seat: Thirteen candidates are seeking to replace him.

Retirements are opening up two other seats. Three candidates are vying to succeed East Boston's Sal LaMattina in District 1, and seven are hoping to replace South Boston's Bill Linehan in District 2.

Councilor Mark Ciommo, of Allston-Brighton's District 9, also has two challengers.

Here's a quick guide to the preliminary election:

1. When can I vote? 

Voting for the preliminary election takes place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

2. Who's running for what races?

Mayor Of Boston:

  • Marty Walsh, incumbent, of Dorchester
  • Tito Jackson, District 7 councilor, of Roxbury
  • Robert Cappucci, former School Committee member, of East Boston
  • Joseph Wiley, health insurance worker, of East Boston

City Councilors:

District 1 (Charlestown, East Boston, North End):

  • Margaret Farmer
  • Stephen Passacantilli
  • Lydia Edwards

District 2 (Downtown, South Boston, South End):

  • Peter Lin-Marcus
  • Kora Vakil
  • Corey Dinopoulos
  • Michael Kelley
  • Edward Flynn
  • Joseph Kebartas
  • Erica Tritta

District 7 (Roxbury):

  • Roy Owens
  • Deeqo Jibril
  • Angelina Magdalena Camacho
  • Brian Keith
  • Joao Gomes Depina
  • Domonique Williams
  • Hassan Williams
  • Rufus Faulk
  • Steven Wise
  • Jose Lopez
  • Kim Janey
  • Charles Clemons Muhammad
  • Carlos Tony Henriquez

District 9 (Allston, Brighton):

  • Brandon David Bowser
  • Alexander Bernhard Golonka
  • Mark Ciommo (incumbent)

3. Am I eligible to vote?

Check your voter status here.

If you haven't registered, you're out of luck for Boston's preliminary election. In Massachusetts, the registration deadline is 20 days before an election (though a judge recently ruled that requirement to be unconstitutional; the secretary of state plans to appeal).

You can still register for the general election on Nov. 7. Register to vote online here, or in person, or by mail.

4. OK, I'm eligible. Where can I vote? 

There are polling locations in wards across Boston. Find your polling location here.

5. Can I vote by absentee ballot?

If you can't make it to the polls, you can vote by absentee ballot. You can request the application for an absentee ballot in person, or by mail. Here's how to vote by absentee ballot in the city of Boston.

With reporting by WBUR's Jeremy Rellosa

This article was originally published on September 19, 2017.

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