Upcoming Events

SHDTC Business Meeting: Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 6:30pm in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. SHDTC meetings are normally held on third Thursdays and are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person in the Trustees Room at the Library or online via Zoom. To obtain a Zoom meeting link, to join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com.

SHDTC First Friday Breakfast Gatherings: Friday, November 6 and December 4, 2026 at 8:30am, Gaylord Library, 47 Newton Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national, and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not. Coffee and light snacks available (donations appreciated), and all are welcome. 

Indivisible Standout: Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 12pm at the South Hadley Town Commons (near the Post Office). GOTV and Vote Early! Details.

November 3, 2026 State Election: All precincts vote at South Hadley High School; polls are open from 7:00am to 8:00pm. Mail-in ballots have gone out and early in-person voting begins Saturday, October 17 at the Town Clerk's office. For election and voting details, see: www.southhadley.org/elections and VoteInMa.com.

Celebrating 100 issues of Updates (and counting!)

 

Illustration from SHDTC Updates Issue 16
October 31, 2022 | The Halloween Party

Our communications subcommittee has put together a special issue to recognize the contributors and readers of our periodic Updates, launched in 2022 as a resource for keeping area Democrats and others apprised of political issues and events that affect our communities. Our 100th Update was published a couple of weeks ago on some of the ballot questions facing MA voters this fall. This "Commemorative Issue" marks the occasion and thanks all who've contributed content and feedback in support of the Updates mission: Being the Voice of Fairness, Democracy, and the Future.

Updates newsletters have been part of SHDTC's work, but only a part, as various SHDTC subcommittees have supported everything from local charitable work on such issues as food insecurity to advocacy around environmental causes, human rights, and fair elections and governance. The newsletters have also helped to feed and support other SHDTC communications venues, including our website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

As we head into the future, we are experimenting with new communication strategies, including a Substack. As always, we invite suggested topics and contributions from our members, friends, and the general public. As this newsletter states: "[T]he arguments we have about our founding ideals are themselves the heart of self-government."

Again, many thanks to our readers and contributors thus far, and best wishes for a good Indigenous Peoples' Day. Issue 62 from November 18, 2024, penned by SHDTC member Christie Reardon, points to the obstacles Native Americans continue to have around voting rights.

Q3: A "Jungle Primary" for Massachusetts?

Our latest newsletter features a Letter to the Editor by SHDTC friend Lee Harrison, originally published in the Berkshire Eagle and advocating against Ballot Question 3, which would move our state to a top-two vote-getter primary system--a move supported primarily by large corporate donors and wealthy individuals. Only two other states in the nation have fully implemented this primary system, and the results have often led to less rather than greater democracy in their elections.

The SHDTC hasn't taken an official position on this question, but in a recent survey of SHDTC members, 86.4% said they'd be voting no on this question. A recent article posted by the group "Act on Mass" also has a related article on Question 3 that you might find of interest.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 102-No on Ballot Question 3
• ACT on MASS: Bad for Democracy, Funded by Private Equity

Focus on the Nine Ballot Questions

People in our area may begin seeing vote-by-mail ballots at their homes in just a couple of weeks, ahead even of early in-person voting that begins October 17. On the ballot there will be nine questions to be decided by voters in the upcoming November 3, 2026 state election.Hence, we've gathered some information and insights from various sources about the issues that might be of interest to our readers. None of the statements in the newsletters, however, represent official endorsement by our SHDTC.

 

For the full text of all ballot questions, see the Voter Guide:
ma.omniballot.us/sites/25/vg/app/vig/voter-guide/info

Updates newsletter Issue 99 focuses on Ballot Questions 1, 2, and 3 and is the first in a series of extended newsletters on the nine questions. Issue 100 looks at Ballot Questions 3, 4, 5  followed by Issue 101 on Ballot Questions 6, 7, 8.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 99-Ballot Questions 1, 2, 3
  

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 100-Ballot Questions 4, 5, 6

 

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 101-Ballot Questions 7, 8, 9

November 3 Ballot Questions

The South Hadley Democratic Town Committee will be publishing three Updates newsletters, about Questions 1-2-3, 4-5-6, and 7-8-9. These newsletters will provide an overview of each question, what groups favor or oppose the proposal, and what a Yes or No vote would do for each question.

The nine statewide questions will appear in the following order on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 state election.

• Question 1: Expanding the Public Records Law
  Make records held by the state legislature and the governor’s office public records.

• Question 2: Collective Bargaining for CPCS Employees
  Permit employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) to participate in collective bargaining practices.

• Question 3: State Primary Elections
  Eliminate political party primaries for state elections and create a single primary where candidates are listed regardless of their political party.

• Question 4: Election Day Registration
  Provide for same-day voter registration.

• Question 5: State Revenue Limit & Rebate
  Change the limit of how much revenue the state can collect in a given year.

• Question 6: Natural Resource Conservation Fund
  Create a fund for state money, titled the Nature for All Fund, that would be used to further efforts of nature conservation.

• Question 7: Single Family Homes
  Require cities and towns to allow single-family homes on residentially-zoned lots that meet minimum standards of at least 5,000 square feet in area.

• Question 8: Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana
  Repeal laws that permit the sale of recreational marijuana and the personal cultivation of cannabis in homes.

• Question 9: Firearms Regulation
  Uphold the legislation, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws (H. 4885), passed in 2024.

Information about offices and questions on the ballot for the November 3 statewide election, is available online at:

• Secretary of the Commonwealth Voter Guide:
  https://ma.omniballot.us/sites/25/vg/app/vig/voter-guide/instructions

These informational events on the ballot questions are planned:

• What's on Your Ballot? Learn about Questions 3, 5, and 7
  Wed, September 23, 6:30-8:30pm
  Northampton High School (subject to change)
  Panel presentation sponsored by the Northampton Democratic City Committee, Southhampton Democratic Town Committee, and Northampton Youth Commission

• KYT Ballot Question Forum
  Thu, October 15, 6:00pm
  South Hadley Senior Center, 45 Dayton St
  Panel presentation with speakers for each side sponsored by Know Your Town.
  

In addition to the nine ballot questions, these offices are on the ballot: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative; MA Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Governor’s Council, State Senator, State Representative

Remembering 9/11, 25 Years Later

Image courtesy of Jack Cohen, Unsplash.com

This week's newsletter is published n remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. Much has changed in the past 25 years, but the reverence for those who perished and continue to suffer from the day's aftermath hasn't. 

We encourage SHDTC members and friends to write down your memories of that day as part of the continued healing process and to help those who weren't alive on 9/11 to better understand and remember. If you're so inclined, send your memories to us at southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com for possible use in future newsletters.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 98_9/11 Remembrance
  

The unglamorous work of democracy

In our latest Updates newsletter, SHDTC member Jim Bosman reflects on the September 1 Election Day results and the hard work by so many on behalf of candidates and positions they supported. Whatever we think about the outcomes in the State Primary Election and the override question in South Hadley's Special Town Election, the results show that people participated and voted in significant numbers, and that's a positive sign for our democracy.

• SHDTC Updates_96_Primary 2026
• South Hadley: 9/1/26-Unofficial Results-State Primary and Special Town Elections 

Upcoming Events

September 1, 2026 Primary Election and Special Town Election (override question). All precincts vote at South Hadley High School; polls are open from 7:00am to 8:00pm.

SHDTC Business Meetings
Schedule for Thursdays at 6:30pm, September 17, October 15, and November 19 in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. SHDTC meetings are normally held on third Thursdays and are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person in the Trustees Room at the Library or online via Zoom. To obtain a Zoom meeting link, to join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com.

First Friday Breakfast Gatherings
The next Friday morning get-together will be held at 8:30am on Friday, September 4, 2026 at the Gaylord Library, 47 Newton Street, South Hadley.  Please try to arrive by 8:15am so we can get our refreshments to begin on time and be out before the library opens at 10:00am. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national, and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not. Coffee and light snacks will be available (donations appreciated), and all are welcome. Plan to join us at at the Gaylord this month and save these dates for future First Fridays (location TBD): October 2, November 6, and December 4.

November 3, 2026 General Election--Ballot Question Information:

• Northampton: Panel presentation about ballot questions 3, 5, and 7 on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Northampton High School (location subject to change). Sponsored by the Northampton Democratic City Committee, Southampton Democratic Town Committee, and Northampton Youth Commission. Two presenters will represent opposing views for each of the three questions. To Register for the event: RSVP here; To Submit a Question for a panelist in advance, use this link.
• South Hadley: Know Your Town will host a ballot question forum on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 6:00pm at in the Community Room at the South Hadley Senior Center. Organizers will have Yes/No speakers for most questions. 
  

September 1 Primary and Special Elections

Our latest newsletter is an opinion piece entitled "We Can't Afford to Wait Any Longer," by DTC member and writer Jim Bosman about the importance of voting "Yes" on the $3.5M override question in front of our town. While many SHDTC members support the override for the reasons cited by Jim, no vote was taken on the issue by our membership. Hence, this Update doesn't necessarily represent a consensus view of all members

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 95-Override (Opinion)
  
  

 

The Special Town Election for the override is scheduled in conjunction with the MA Primary Election on September 1. Mail-in Primary and Special Election ballots need to arrive at Town Hall no later than 8pm on Election Day, so they should be mailed early this week. Ballot envelopes can also be placed in the Town's secure drop box located behind Town Hall, by the Police Station. Polls are open at the high school on Sept. 1 from 7am-8pm for in-person voting. All the information you need to vote, including early in-person voting at Town Hall, is available HERE.

Democratic Primary candidates on August 20

Our monthly meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2026, will begin with a brief, 30-minute business meeting at 6:15pm, followed by a Candidate Forum at 6:45pm. SHDTC members may attend in person or via Zoom, and are asked to arrive on time so our guest candidates can begin promptly at 6:45pm.

The Democratic candidates from western MA running for two contested offices (District 8 Governor's Council and MA-01 US Representative in Congress) in the September 1 Democratic Primary Election have been invited to address our meeting. At 6:45pm, the candidates who have responded to our invitation will each have 15 minutes to speak. 

The August 20 candidate schedule is:

• 6:45pm: Michael Fenton, Candidate for Governor's Council, District 8 (via Zoom)

• 7:00pm: Tara Jacobs, Candidate for re-election to Governor's Council District 8 (In-person and via Zoom)

• 7:15pm: Jeromie Whalen, Candidate for MA-01 US Representative in Congress (In-person and via Zoom)
  

The August 20 meeting will be held in a hybrid format, online via Zoom and in-person in the Trustees Conference Room at South Hadley Public Library. As this is a smaller meeting room that is set up to accommodate hybrid-online meetings, SHDTC friends and interested voters who would like to hear from the candidates should plan to attend via Zoom, as in-person space is limited. For the Zoom meeting link, please email us at southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com.