or know someone who hasn’t and maybe could use a little nudge, or more information, or a ride to the polls —

I posted my “Pre-Election Prep Talk” a couple of weeks ago. If you read it, you will recognize the dog in the photos below. (His name is Tam Lin, and he’s a popcorn junkie.) The short version: Please vote Democratic from the top of the ballot to the bottom, and that includes the six candidates on the ballot for Dukes County Commission. I’ll recap my statewide and regional picks below.

This is primarily to let you know about three write-in candidates. You may know about them already, because several people (including me) have been emailing every Vineyarder in our address book about them, but there’s been almost nothing about them in the papers, so here goes. When you write a candidate’s name in, it’s best to include their street address, but definitely include their town.

Julianne Vanderhoop, 682 State Rd., Aquinnah, is running as a write-in for Dukes County Commission. There are six candidates on the ballot and seven seats open. This means that Juli, who’s currently a member of the Aquinnah selectboard and also a Wampanoag tribal member, has an excellent chance of being elected. Please vote for all six on the ballot, then write in Julianne Vanderhoop, 682 State Rd., Aquinnah, and vote for her too.

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is a little more complicated. There are eight candidates on the ballot and nine seats open, but the MVC rules require that there be at least one elected member from each island town and no more than two. If you read the fine print under the names on the ballot, you’ll notice that none of them is from Aquinnah. This means that write-in Carole Vandal, 6 Waduchuemesmayak, Aquinnah, has an excellent chance of getting in. (She’s a biologist, climate activist, and member of the Wampanoag tribe, among other things.)

If you’re voting for all eight candidates on the ballot, you only get one write-in, but I’m not so I’m also writing in Jennifer Smith Turner, Oak Bluffs (sorry, I don’t have her street address). She’s a novelist (Child Bride, 2020) who has held several executive positions in various companies, including as interim president/CEO of the Newman’s Own Foundation. Unfortunately, the odds are against her because there’s already a candidate from Oak Bluffs on the ballot and for Smith Turner to get a second OB slot she’d have to get more votes than at least one of the candidates on the ballot. I’m voting for her anyway.

Here are the statewide and regional candidates to vote for:

• Governor & Lieutenant Governor: Maura Healey & Kim Driscoll
• Attorney General: Andrea Campbell
• Secretary of State: William Galvin (incumbent)
• Auditor: Diana DiZoglio
• Treasurer: Deborah Goldberg (incumbent)
• Member in Congress: Bill Keating
• Cape & Islands DA: Robert Galibois
• State senator: Julian Cyr
• State representative: Dylan Fernandes
• Dukes County sheriff: Robert Ogden

I’ve bolded Rob Galibois for DA and Julian Cyr for re-election as state senator because they’re both running in the Cape & Islands region, they both have Republican opponents, and the Cape, especially the Mid-Cape, is rather purple. A strong Democratic turnout from the Vineyard will help put both over the top. Rob in particular is a first-time candidate running for an office that has been held by Republicans since it was created around 1970. He’s a great guy, and (unlike the outgoing DA) he’s already made strong connections on the Vineyard among law-enforcement and social services people, and others.

The Martha’s Vineyard Times, which rarely endorses candidates, strongly endorsed Rob Galibois for DA in an October 26 editorial. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 😉

Light candles, pray, cross your fingers, and do whatever else you can do to ensure a pro-democracy outcome on Tuesday!!