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.

Hamp County Democratic Candidates Forum

Monday, August 10 at 6:00pm | Doors open at 5:30pm
Easthampton High School, 70 Williston Avenue
Free and open to the public

A Primary Election forum organized collaboratively by Democratic Town Committees in Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, South Hadley, Southampton, and Worthington will take place at 6pm on Monday, August 10 at Easthampton High School. All potential voters are encouraged to attend!

 

Democratic candidates in the September 1, 2026 state Democratic Primary Election for the U.S. Representative and Governor’s Council competitive races have been invited to present their campaigns and answer questions. Other candidates running for election in Hampshire County will also have an opportunity to introduce themselves. The moderated portion will be followed by a candidate meet and greet.

 

The forum is designed to help voters learn more about those running for office, and to bring together candidates from across the county for a structured discussion. The event will allow voters to compare perspectives across races in a single, accessible setting.

For more information and to RSVP (which helps us to plan), visit:
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/999079

SHDTC Updates is now on Substack!

This summer, we've started moving our free Updates Newsletter to Substack. During the transition we'll continue to forward the newsletter to our mailing lists. If you'd like to continue to receive it by email, please visit our Substack page to subscribe. For now, we'll also continue to post a PDF of the newsletter in the archive on our website, though we anticipate that eventually Substack will be the main place to find our newsletter.

• South Hadley Dems on Substack: https://southhadleydems.substack.com
  

Our August 5, 2026 newsletter, authored by SHDTC member Jim Bosman, focuses on the upcoming state primary election on Tuesday, September 1. In South Hadley, residents will also be voting again on a tax override, this time in the amount of $3.5 million. While higher property taxes are on no one's wish list, it's clear that our community will suffer significant losses without additional funding. Our votes are important, so please plan to participate in these important elections!

Upcoming Elections on September 1

Tuesday, September 1, 2026
  South Hadley High School, 153 Newton St | 7:00 am to 8:00 pm
  In-person voting for all precincts
    –Aug 22: Last day to register to vote
    –Aug 22: First Day of in-person Early Voting at Town Clerk’s office
    –Aug 25: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot

• 2026 State Primary Election
  In Massachusetts, registered voters may choose to enroll in a political party, enroll with a political designation or choose to be an unenrolled voter (independent) and cast a primary ballot for any party. For details: MA Secretary of State Office.
  —Offices on the ballot: Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, State Governor’s Council, State Senator, State Representative
  
  
• South Hadley Special Election
  Local voters will decide on a $3.5m override to support essential town services. An online calculator is available to show the annual impact for local properties:
  www.southhadley.org/1528/Proposition-25-Override-Information
  

Voter Resources

• South Hadley Election and Voting Information:
  www.southhadley.org/elections
• Check your registration and receipt of your ballot:
  www.VoteinMA.com
• When available, South Hadley sample ballots are posted at:
  www.southhadley.org/1088/Sample-Ballot

Why Vote for a Progressive?

Our latest newsletter, authored by SHDTC member Jim Bosman, discusses stands by progressive candidates on the economy, healthcare, and immigration that they hope will carry votes in the upcoming primary and general elections.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter:
  Issue 93-Why Vote for a Progressive
  

1200+ Actions by ICE Documented

A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union explores the scale of civil rights violations committed by the US Department of Homeland Security / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and police forces it has deputized.

• ACLU: Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Summary
• ACLU Research Report: Agents of Chaos and Cruelty (PDF)

Locally, Indivisible South Hadley has organized a peaceful standout-vigil from 10am to 12pm on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at South Hadley Town Commons and along both sides of Route 116 to remember those who have died at the hands of ICE and shine a light in solidarity with mourning families on reckless killings and the need to hold the responsible agents accountable.

Independence Day Newsletter

How should we think about the 250th anniversary of our nation's birth during a time of tremendous threats to our democratic experiment? Read SHDTC member Jim Bosman's thoughts in our latest newsletter. 

The strength of our nation is We the People. Wishing you and all the important people in your lives a good 4th of July and semiquincentennial.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: We the People--July 1, 2026