Needham Passes Alcohol Question, Votes Blue

The town followed the rest of Massachusetts in re-electing President Barack Obama and electing Elizabeth Warren as Senator and Joe Kennedy as Congressman.

  Needham residents soon will be able to buy their wine right here in town. By an overwhelming margin, local voters approved the only question on the Nov. 6 special town election ballot—whether Needham should issue licenses to businesses to sell wine, beer and liquor in town. In the end, 12,181 Needham residents voted yes on the measure, while 4,636 residents voted no. With approval of the ballot question, Needham has the ability to issue up to six licenses for the retail sale of beer, wine and liquor in town, with two additional wine and beer licenses available after 2018, for a total of eight. Needham selectmen will be holding a public hearing later this month to consider regulations for alcohol sales licenses, and each license applicant…

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It's Election Day! Where To Vote in Needham

Polls are open on Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It's Election Day! Today, Needham residents will help pick a new president, U.S. senator and Congressman and help decide statewide issues involving medical marijuana, end-of-life prescriptions and right-to-repair. Locally, voters will decide whether to allow stores in Needham to sell wine, beer and liquor. Remember: Needham residents will need to check in twice when they go to vote today—once to receive your state/presidential election ballot and then again to receive the special town election ballot. You can fill out both ballots at the same time, but you must sign in at each table to reveive the two ballots. For a complete look at what you'll see on today's ballot, including sample ballots, check out Needham Patch's Election Guide 2012. …

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Needham Election Results 2012 [UPDATE 1:31 a.m.]

Updates on the presidential, state and local election in Needham will be posted here throughout the day Tuesday.

Stay with Needham Patch all day as we update this article with news and information from the polls—and live election results after 8 p.m. See quotes and updates from today's election in Needham below, underneath the results tables. Polls closed at 8 p.m. Check back later tonight for results in all 10 Needham precincts. Results will be posted as soon as the town clerk makes them available. [UPDATE 11:42 p.m.] So what does the alcohol sales question approval mean for Needham?  Needham selectmen can now issue up to six licenses for the retail sale of beer, wine and liquor in town, with two additional wine and beer licenses available after 2018, for a total of eight. Needham has been “dry” since before Prohibition. After the federal repeal of …

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Raising Needham

Parenting: Voting with the Kids

Election Day is a great opportunity to teach your kids about the importance of the voting process.

I would love to rename Election Day "Freedom Day." I think more people would vote if they could remember or in some cases even know what it took and what we lost in order to secure our democracy. I guess you can tell by my tone that I have always been fascinated by politics. Yes, it can get ugly—especially in a presidential race—but cut through all of that nonsense and you get to the core of what Election Day is really about: our freedom to decide who runs our country. My gather was born in Germany and never ever took his right to vote in the United States for granted. He was incredibly proud to be an American citizen and passionate about his right to vote. We all learned at a very young age what a privilege it is to vote. I went to the …

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Right to Repair: What Does Your Vote Mean?

Find out what your vote on Question 1 will mean.

On Nov. 6, Massachusetts voters will be asked to vote on three questions along with the state and federal political races. Question 1, also known as Right to Repair, is asking voters whether all vehicle owners should have access to repair manuals and diagnostic information for their vehicles. "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," the Massachusetts Secretary of State's website says. According to the website, a "yes" vote on …

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Assisted Suicide: What Does Your Vote Mean?

Find out what your vote on Question 2 will mean.

On Nov. 6, Massachusetts voters will be asked to vote on three questions along with the state and federal political races. Question 2 asks whether doctors should be allowed to prescribe medication to end life. "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," the Massachusetts Secretary of State's website says. According to the website a "yes" vote would allow for the prescription of life-ending medication. A "no" vote would make no change to the current law and keep the practice illegal.

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Medical Marijuana: What Does Your Vote Mean?

Find out what a yes or no vote on Question 3 will mean.

On Nov. 6, Massachusetts voters will be asked to vote on three questions along with the state and federal political races. Question 3 is regarding the legalization of 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," the  Massachusetts Secretary of State's website says. According to the website, a "yes" vote would allow for patients to smoke marijuana if it is prescribed by a doctor. A "no" vote would make no change to the current law and keep the practice illegal.

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