Itโs Tuesday, Boston.
๐ Whatโs worse than a Storrowing? Porta-Storrowing. Thatโs when a truck filled with porta-potties Storrows, knocking said potties onto incoming traffic. We coined the phrase when it happened Monday morning on Memorial Drive (seriously).
๐ Whatโs on tap today:
Mass. ramps up ballot security
How to ditch your crusty pumpkins
Name that snowplowย
Up firstโฆ
ELECTION 2024
What to expect when youโre electing

Image: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Welp, itโs Election Day. And whether that fills you with excitement or existential dread, the best things you can do today are 1. Vote. and 2. Take care of yourself.
Hereโs our guide for how to do both:
๐ Need a quick ballot refresher? No prob. Regardless of where you live, everyone casting a ballot in Mass. will be voting for president, a U.S. senator, and for the five ballot questions. In case you missed our ballot Q explainers, hereโs Boston.comโs guide that takes you through all five.
๐ Depending where you live, you may also be voting in races for U.S. House reps, state reps, and other local elections for positions like Clerk of Courts, Register of Deeds, County Commissioner, and Governor's Council. You can see exactly what candidates are going to be on your ballot here.
๐ Bonus: VoteSee, a tool made by Harvard grad students, is a great way to check out your congressional candidates.
โ If youโve already voted early or by mail โฆ Sit back and relax! But just to be safe, you can triple check your mail-in ballot here. And on the off-chance thereโs no movement, you can still vote in-person today.
๐ณ๏ธ If youโre voting in-person โฆ Youโll need to do it at your local polling place. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., and everyone in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. If itโs your first time voting in Mass. or you havenโt voted in a while, thereโs a chance youโll be asked to show your ID.
๐ฎ If youโre voting by mail today โฆ You have until 8 p.m. to drop it off at an official dropbox or your local election office. Just remember: you canโt drop it off at your polling place.ย
๐ฎโ๐จ As for the results, donโt hold your breath. While some races may be decided quickly, most probably wonโt be called before you go to sleep. You can check in on results here, but our advice? Just go to bed. Tomorrow morning, weโll send you a roundup of where the races stand.
๐ธ In the meantime โฆ weโve got Election Day freebies! Like โฆ a lot of them:
Need a ride to the polls? Bluebikes is offering unlimited free two-hour rides today with code BCBSMAVOTE. Or you can get $10 off an Uber (in-app) or Lyft (with code VOTE24) all day.
Need a sweet treat after voting? Pick up a free mini cannoli at Black Rose bakery on Newbury, or nab a BOGO deal on subs at Pauliโs after 6 p.m. by flashing your โI votedโ sticker.
Need โฆ to hit something? Make it a ping pong ball! SPIN is offering an hour of free play to anyone with a sticker.ย
๐ And remember: Airport rules are in effect now through Wednesday (IYKYK).
QUICK QUESTION
๐ณ๏ธ Who are you voting for in the presidential election?
Let us know below!
TOGETHER WITH BOSTON COLLEGE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Make a career out of helping othersย
๐ Ready to put your compassion and problem-solving skills to good use? Empower your calling with a Master of Social Work from Boston College School of Social Work. Whether part time or full time, this fully customizable program lets you shape your studies around the social issues closest to your heart with 50+ electives, six focus areas, and 12+ certificates to explore. Plus, with scholarships for all students, a dedicated career center, and the only social work library in New England, you can pursue your passion at a school that fully supports you. Start your journey today!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
๐ Mass. is ramping up ballot security. If recent headlines are making you nervous about ballot safety, you can rest assured that although Mass. should avoid the brunt of election security issues, officials are doubling down anyway. In anticipation of an โemotionalโ election season everywhere, local ballot drop boxes have been redesigned to avoid tampering, according to Secretary of State William Galvin. Plus, other towns will take extra measures like adding surveillance footage or increasing police presence at polling places.
๐ฌ Voting for non-English speakers is getting easier. Speaking of election season updates, the city is investing big in resources to help non-English speakers get out the vote. This year, around one-fifth of poll workers will speak a language other than English, plus voters have access to a citywide translator phone bank and a language ID card at the polls. The efforts are meant to help folks make sure they feel comfortable and informed when theyโre casting their vote, especially as misinformation about non-citizen voting is circulating.
๐ Hereโs what to do with all those pumpkins you impulse-bought. Hint: Donโt just throw them out (theyโll likely end up in a landfill releasing greenhouse gasses). Instead, think about composting. If youโre already enrolled in Bostonโs free composting program, you can pop them in there, but if not, you can also take them to one of the cityโs free, 24-hour community food waste bins, which are in many neighborhoods. Just make sure theyโre not painted, glittered, or otherwise DIY-ed.
๐๏ธ What do embroidery, Jordanian cuisine, and baby clothes have in common? Theyโre all coming to Bow Market this fall. First up, KEEPER, a new, permanent biz at the market thatโs bringing back the art of chainstitch embroidery, offering services from monograms to custom projects. Petra is a yearlong pop-up Jordanian eatery thatโll be slinging falafel, lamb chops, and other popular bites. And finally, Bigelow Lane is a sustainable, natural clothing brand for kids based in Cambridge, which will be around for the next few months.
GIVEAWAY
Together with Selfup
Enter to win 2 Gift Cards for a "Romantic Italian Date Night" Cooking Class at Selfup. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Nov 6. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and theyโve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*
18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.
ONE LAST THING
Name that snowplow!

Illustration: Gia Orsino
You might be tempted to call the trucks that rid our streets and highways of snow โsnowplows.โ But thanks to a bunch of local kids, thatโs the MayPlower to you.ย
For the third year, MassDOT has opened its name-a-snowplow contest, where kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms are allowed to submit a name for a few of the stateโs snowplows, to be picked by MassDOT officials.ย
Past winners have included Flower Plower, Edward Blizzardhands, Snow Monstah, Sleetwood Mac, and Fast and Flurryous. But our personal fave might be the Glacier Gobbler.
โ Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
โ๏ธ Thanks for reading! We donโt want to make any waves, but we are wondering where all these kids are getting their โ70s and โ90s pop culture references from.
๐ Special shoutout to todayโs sponsor, Boston College School of Social Work, for supporting local journalism and empowering the next generation of change-makers.
๐ The results are in: The Green Line edged out the Red Line by exactly one vote for the most-trafficked line by B-Siders, with 34% of the total. One reader said: โYou get used to the screech after a while.โย
๐ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].