Absentee Ballots Available for City Council Ward 5 Preliminary Election

New Bedford, Massachusetts – Absentee ballots are now available for the Sept. 28 preliminary election for New Bedford City Council in Ward 5, the city’s Board of Election Commissioners announced today.

Any resident of Ward 5, which covers much of the city’s West End, can vote by absentee ballot from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday – Friday in the Election Office in City Hall, at 133 William St.

The office also will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 25, ahead of the Sept. 28 preliminary election day, which this year features only the Ward 5 Council race between incumbent Scott Lima and challengers Raena Camacho and Zachary Boyer.

Parents or family members can apply for an absentee ballot on behalf of children attending college out of town, Election Commissioner Manuel DeBrito Jr. said. Those ballots must be returned to the Election Office by 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Absentee ballots must be mailed to voters but can be hand-delivered to the office.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is noon Sept. 27. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8

p.m. on Sept. 28, the day of the preliminary election. The city’s municipal election is Nov. 2, and the last day to register to vote in that election is Oct. 13.

Any New Bedford resident who is uncertain about their voting status or polling location, has changed their address since the last election, or would like to request an absentee ballot can call the office at 508-979-1420.