As Lisa Thomas recently monitored Worcester's early voting site at the city's downtown public library, she was quick to notice something different about this year's election: it's taking voters longer to fill out their ballots.
"For some folks, it can be a little confusing because there are nine ballot questions," said Thomas, who has been overseeing elections for years in Worcester and, before that, Marlborough.
Some early voters told GBH News all those ballot questions are difficult to understand, and they recommend other people review the measures before heading to the polls.
This year's ballot is three pages long with the record-tying nine questions, in addition to the state's major races like governor and U.S. senator. The statewide ballot measures address a range of issues, and the stakes are high.
Voters are considering everything from the future of marijuana legalization and gun restrictions to changes to public records law and single family home zoning.
With polls showing Democratic incumbents holding commanding leads over Republican challengers in major races, some voters say the ballot questions are the most intriguing aspect of the midterms in Massachusetts. Organizations have spent more than $20 million campaigning for or against the questions, and media outlets and social media personalities have released ample breakdowns explaining what they would do.
To prevent confusion at the polls, local and state officials are urging voters to study the questions ahead of time. And election workers at polling places are giving out the state's informational red books to help voters understand the measures.
Despite those efforts, Thomas said she's still witnessed voters spending at least five minutes on average filling out their ballots, longer than she noticed in past elections. She's run into multiple voters who weren't familiar with the ballot questions before casting their votes.
"It's a little overwhelming," Thomas said. "When you come in, you're welcome to sit down or stand up at any of our voting booths and take your time going through everything."
Each ballot question features a summary of the measure followed by a short explanation of what a "yes" and "no" vote would do. Some early voters in Worcester called the summaries confusing but added that at least the brief explanation provided some clarity.
Jennifer Cupp was among voters who studied the questions in advance and recommended that other people do the same. Cupp argued that people only get to exercise their right to vote so often, so they might as well be prepared and knowledgeable when the time does come to cast a ballot.
"Do some research ahead of time," she said. "Try and go in informed."
Other voters had their own ways of studying the ballot questions before voting. Debi Mangiameli said she was fortunate that her husband voted a few days before her, so she was able to consult with him about a few questions.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Day went as far as creating his own cheat sheet and bringing it into the voting booth.
"It's a lot faster and you have more time at home to digest what the information is," he said. "You'll feel pressured" if you see the ballot questions for the first time in the voting booth, he added.
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