Friday, Aug. 28, deadline to register to vote in September 17 preliminary

If you're new to Newton or otherwise not registered to vote here, you've got four days left if you want to vote in the September 17 preliminary election for Alderman-at-Large from Ward 2. Remember, the whole city can vote in At-Large races. 

The Massachusetts Secretary of State's office now has an online voter registration system, but at this point you might want to do it in person at City Hall if you can, because it will likely take a couple of days to receive your confirmation from the city that you are registered, after using the online system.

If you do use the online site, do not be alarmed by the message that confirmation will take two to three weeks (which would be after the deadline).  That message is intended to cover all towns in Massachusetts, some of which have part-time election clerks and slower turnaround, City Clerk David Olson explained to me. It's much faster in Newton. A new Newton resident I met who used the system last Tuesday and got the worrisome message, got her confirmation from the city on Thursday. 

And if you're not sure of your voter registration status, you can check that online, too.