4 SMALL STEPS = ONE HUGE IMPACT
1 → Get election ready.
The Town Election is Tuesday, June 9. Polls will be open 7am to 8pm. Check your polling place here (if you used to vote at Abbot Hall you may now be assigned to vote at the high school - double check!).
Check your voter registration status. The deadline to register is Friday, May 29.
Won’t be in town on June 9, or just feel like voting early? Get a mail-in ballot! It’s easy.
OPTION 1: Click here to request your mail-in ballot. Select “All 2026 Elections”. This will result in you getting mail-in ballots for all the elections this year.
OPTION 2: Download a paper Vote by Mail application, return it by June 2, 2026, and you’ll receive a mail-in ballot ONLY for this one town election.
2 → Brush up on the choices.
Question 1 = Tier 1, The $9MM override. VOTE YES!
Limits the most severe cuts to town services and schools, preserving some of what residents count on most.
It's a step forward, but services will still be reduced and Marblehead will continue to face difficult budget choices year after year.
Question 2 = Tier 2, The $12MM override. VOTE YES!
Includes everything from Tier 1, plus: Gets us back to where we are now, restoring core services and meeting existing commitments (like the teachers' contract already in place).
It stops the bleeding, but only returns Marblehead to the baseline we had before, with little room to grow or plan ahead.
Question 3 = Tier 3, The $15MM override. VOTE YES!
Includes everything from Tiers 1 & 2, plus: Introduces revenue generating opportunities like positions that pay for themselves and reduced out of district tuition costs in our schools.
Takes a modest bite out of Marblehead’s $8–$11 million “known repair” list, tackling a very specific short-list of projects that have been waiting for years for maintenance. Buildings, parks, school buses, equipment, etc.
3 → Learn how the ballot works.
4 → VOTE!
Marblehead has not passed a general Prop 2 ½ override in over 20 years.
Do not sit this one out! Every single vote will matter.
What’s happening with our town’s finances?
Marblehead faces a growing gap between revenues and costs, putting our schools, services, and infrastructure at risk. For years, costs have outpaced the limits of Proposition 2½, with little room for new revenue. Without action, difficult cuts are coming that will impact our quality of life.
Did anyone see this coming?
Yes. For years, Marblehead's Finance Committee told residents the same thing: the town was spending more than it was taking in, patching the gap with one-time funds and unsustainable cuts, and heading toward a crisis. The warnings were public. They were consistent. And now the crisis is here.
Why this matters
The Proposition 2½ Squeeze: Marblehead's property tax levy can grow by only 2.5% per year — about $2.2M annually. But the town's largest costs — health insurance, pensions, and contracted salaries — have grown faster than 2.5% for years. The result is a structural deficit that widens every year: more money is committed before the budget process even begins, leaving less room for services, maintenance, and investment.
One-Time Fixes Run Out
In prior years, Marblehead was able to delay the impact of its structural deficit with one-time measures — drawing heavily on free cash, digging into revolving funds, and deferring capital investment. In FY27 those options are running out. At Town Meeting on May 4, residents advanced a general override to the town-wide election on June 9. A general override is a permanent increase to the amount of property tax revenue a community can raise under Proposition 2½. It allows Marblehead to fund town services including schools, public safety, and infrastructure.
The path forward
Marblehead hasn’t passed a general override in 21 years. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We are ALL IN to fund the town we love. Make a plan to vote on June 9 and join us.