BOSTON (WWLP) - As election day approaches, it's important for Massachusetts residents to make sure they are ready to cast their votes. From checking eligibality to understanding ballot questions, here's everything you need to know about voting in Massachusetts this election cycle. Eligibility and Registration: It is critical to check your eligibility before you start making your voting plans. This is especially important if you have recently moved, changed your name, or if you have not voted for a long time. In order to be eligible to vote, you must be a United State citizen, a Massachusetts resident, and at least 18 years of age on election day. If you have been convicted of corrupt voting practices, if you are currently incarcerated for a felony, or if you are under guardianship with respect to voting, you are NOT eligible. You can double-check your eligibility online.  Once you are positive you are eligible, you can register or check your registration online. Important Dates: Register by October 26 For mail and absentee ballots: Request by October 29  Return by mail postmarked by November 5 Return in person before 8pm on November 5  Early voting in-person at select sites from October 19 to November 1  Election Day is November 5, polls open 7am-8pm What are the ballot questions?  There are five questions on this year’s ballot. These questions are specific to Massachusetts, and they are a way for people to propose new laws or constitutional amendments. Anyone can submit a question, but the ones that make it onto the ballot collected a minimum number of signatures and have been deemed eligible by the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.  Let’s talk about question 1! This question is being posed by the state auditor, Diana DiZoglio. Voters are being asked to decide whether she can audit, or inspect the financial accounts of the state legislature. A YES vote would authorize the state auditor to inspect the financial accounts of the legislature. A NO vote would allow the law to remain as it is now, and the State Auditor would not be permitted to audit the legislature. Support for this question argues that citizens of Massachusetts have a right to more government transparency, and are entitled to full understanding of what the state government is doing with their tax dollars. The question’s opposition raises concerns about separation of powers. The state auditor is a member of the executive branch and the legislature is a part of the legislative branch, which are kept separate by the Massachusetts constitution. These voters say that an audit would make the state auditor an influential participant in legislation, which could undermine objectivity in other audits. Question 2 deals with a current high school graduation requirement–MCAS standardized testing. The initiative asks voters to decide if high school diplomes should continue to be withheld from students who fail to pass the MCAS.  A YES vote would eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement, and make graduation determinate on school work that passes other state standards. A NO vote would keep the requirement as it is now, and continue to require high schoolers to pass the MCAS. Groups who want to get rid of this requirement point to the statistic that 700 Massachusetts high school seniors fail to graduate each year solely because of their MCAS scores. They say that because pass rates are much lower for those who speak English as a second language, disabled students, and other disadvantaged students, this requirement should be replaced to allow students to demonstrate competence and success in other ways. No voters say this test is essential to keep track of how Massachusetts’ schools are meeting teaching and learning standards. They say that because the MCAS is the only state-wide requirement, getting rid of it would allow students to graduate who are not ready to leave high school. Many rideshare drivers want to unionize, and your vote on question 3 will determine whether they should be allowed to. This question came about as a result of a similar initiative being voted down in the legislature. A YES vote would give rideshare drivers the option to join a union and receive union benefits.  A NO vote would make no change in the current law that regulates this type of drivers’ union rights. Yes voters say unionization is a right for most types of workers, and it should be a right for rideshare drivers as well. They believe it will give drivers leverage to receive better treatment from companies like Uber and Lyft. No voters argue that a union would raise the prices of utilizing rideshare services, and point to drivers current salaries, benefits, and similar statistics as reasons why a union is unnecessary. Question 4 is all about psychedelics, like magic mushrooms. It asks voters if the state should legalize and regulate these drugs.  A YES vote would empower the state to legalize some psychedelics. Individuals over 21 years of age would be permitted to use them with licensed supervision, and individuals would be allowed to possess and grow limited quantities in their homes.  A NO vote would keep psychedelic legalization and oversight as it stands now.  Yes voters believe that psychedelics are a useful tool in mental health treatment, and are an option that is essential to keep open to groups like veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. There are two main arguments in the no camp. One argument says that there is not enough research and certainty with regard to the safety of using psychedelics for mental health treatment. The other says that allowing the state to oversee, regulate, and tax these substances will make it more difficult and more expensive–although also legal–for people to access. Question 5 seeks to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, like waiters and bartenders. This ballot initiative proposes that wages be raised over the course of five years. Once they reach the state minimum wage, tips may be pooled and distributed to all non-management workers. A YES vote would raise the minimum wage for tipped workers over the course of five years and allow tips to be pooled. A NO vote would keep tipped workers wages and tip practices as they are today. Yes voters argue that tipped workers who live in states where they have a higher minimum wage make more money overall. They also say pooling tips is a more equitable practice. They also say that most small businesses already operate this way, so the change would mostly affect big corporations. This question’s no voters are, in large part, tipped workers. They say that tipped workers are already guaranteed minimum wage if their tips are not high enough to bridge the gap between their base pay and the state minimum. They argue that because a majority of tipped workers already make well over minimum, this law change would cause them to lose money overall. They also have expressed concern that this would take away customer’s incentive to tip at all. Local News Headlines Chicopee police seek public’s help in locating missing teen City of Holyoke looks to update its natural hazards mitigation plan Local varsity girls soccer team hosted a fundraiser to support Breast Cancer Research National Grid sends crews to aid Florida after Milton WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.