Melrose Election Guide

Editor's note: This article was updated on Wednesday, June 20 at 11:40 a.m. with the ballot questions voters will face in the fall.

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Melrose Patch is devoted to bring you the information you need about every race in town.

With no city election this year, and , Melrosians will head to the ballot box on Nov. 6 to vote on who will represent them in Congress, as well as vote on statewide ballot issues

Here's our start on the candidates and issues we'll be covering as November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.

U.S. House of Representatives—5th Congressional District

Congressman Ed Markey: The Dean of the Massachusetts and New England House of Representatives delegations, Markey represents Melrose in the U.S. House as the representative of the 7th congressional district (due to redistricting, next year Melrose will be in the newly created 5th congressional district, which will still be represented by the seat currently held by Market). He's been in office for the past 35 years.

Jeff Semon: A Lexington resident and business consultant, Semon (pronounced Simone) is one of two Republican candidates challenging Markey this fall. But first, on Thursday, Sept. 6, he faces a primary battle against ...

Frank Addivinola: A Malden native who currently has a private law practice and manages a real estate investment fund, Addivinola is the other Republican candidates running for the seat held by Markey. He and Semon will face off in the Sept. 6 primary for the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional district seat.

Here's some coverage so far of these candidates:

U.S. Senate

Sen. Scott Brown: The Republican junior senator from Massachusetts pulled off an upset two years ago when he defeated state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the 2010 special election held after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Brown is still serving out the remainder of Kennedy's term.

Elizabeth Warren: A Harvard Law School professor who led the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, last fall Warren announced her candidacy as a Democratic nominee for the seat held by Scott Brown. She state party convention endorsed her earlier this month.

Here's some coverage so far of these candidates:

Ballot Questions

Of the 31 initiatives put forth for the fall ballot, And of those, one looks likely to be resolved by the Legislature before that date.

• A Law for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana: This intiative seeks to legalize the use and cultivation of marijuana as a medical drug. It calls for no penalities for "qualifying patients, physicians and health care professionals, personal caregivers for patients, or medical marijuana treatment center agents for the medical use of marijuana."

• An Act Relative to Death with Dignity: This initiative would allow physicians to prescribe medication to terminally ill patients that would end their lives. The act would require that patients are mentally capable of making this decision and orally communicating it to a doctor on two occasions 15 days apart. Participation by a doctor or health care facility would be voluntary.

• An Act to Protect Motor Vehicle Owners and Small Businesses in Repairing Motor Vehicles: This initiative would require all car manufacturers to provide – on an equitable fair-market value subscription basis – all diagnostic and repair information for model years beginning in 2015 to owners or an owner’s designated in-state independent repair facility (not affiliated with a manufacturer or its authorized dealers). The law would also make available for purchase information for model years 2002 through 2014. ()

• An Act Promoting Excellence in Public Schools: Backed by Stand for Children Massachusetts, it involves retaining and promoting teachers based on performance reviews and test scores rather than seniority. If a compromise bill is passed this summer, Stand for Children has agreed to withdraw this ballot question.