(AP file photo)

By Gintautas Dumcius | MassLive

Boston voters go to the polls on Nov. 7 to determine whether to give Mayor Marty Walsh a second four-year term or hand the reins over to City Councilor Tito Jackson, an ex-aide to former Gov. Deval Patrick.

They were the top two finishers after the September 2017 preliminary narrowed the field.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. There are 58 communities holding elections that day.

Here’s what your ballot will look like if you’re voting in the Boston municipal election.

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(AP Photos)

Mayor Marty Walsh and Councilor Tito Jackson

Walsh, a former state House representative was first elected in 2013, succeeding Mayor Thomas Menino, who opted against running for a sixth term.

Jackson worked in Patrick’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. He was first elected to the City Council in 2011.

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Walsh and Jackson faced off in just one televised debate, on WGBH.

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City Council At-Large

Eight candidates are vying for four City Council At-Large slots. There wasn’t a September preliminary since there weren’t enough candidates.

But what’s drawn quite a bit of attention in Boston political circles is the clown who’s running for one of the four offices.

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Yes, there's a clown on the ballot

Kevin McCrea, a businessman who has mounted previous runs for mayor and City Council, has legally changed his name to Pat Payaso and snagged a spot on the ballot. (“Payaso” means “clown” in Spanish.)

As he’s campaigned across the city, Payaso has donned a red wig and cartoonishly large white gloves.

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Why does the govt require monthly solar reporting but only quarterly tallies the result???? Waste of my time and our money $$$#mapoli pic.twitter.com/Yoeg7gwrA7 — Pat Payaso (@PatPayaso) October 24, 2017

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"Most politicians take themselves very, very seriously and we laugh at them behind their backs," Payaso told CaughtinSouthie.com. "I'm all about efficiency, with me, the citizens can just laugh right in my face and save themselves the time and effort of pretending to be impressed."

He told the site that if he’s elected, he would dress as a clown in side Boston City Hall “if needed.”

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The rest of the Council At-Large field

The four incumbents are Michelle Wu, Michael Flaherty, Ayanna Pressley and Annissa Essaibi George.

Along with Payaso, the candidates seeking to oust the incumbents are perennial candidate Althea Garrison, as well as William King and Domingos Darosa.

All are running for a two-year term.

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District 1

The district includes East Boston, the North End and Charlestown, and it’s the first time in more than ten years the District 1 seat has opened up.

This is a closely watched City Council race. Two former staffers to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are facing off: Stephen Passacantilli versus Lydia Edwards.

The two candidates made it past the preliminary, separated by just 81 votes.

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I don't think the mayor's endorsed in this race?

🤔#bospoli pic.twitter.com/rSzZ1iPplC — Gintautas Dumcius (@gintautasd) October 24, 2017

Is the mayor taking sides?

Mayor Walsh maintained that he hadn’t endorsed anybody in District 1 but admitted he had approved the Passacantilli piece of Spanish language campaign literature with the photo of the two of them and “Yo estoy con Stephen” on it. (That translates into “I’m with Stephen.”)

“I’ve known Stephen for a long time,” Walsh told MassLive. “I’ve known Stephen for about 15 years. He quit his job four years ago to work on my campaign, I’m forever grateful for it. Lydia works for me as well, works for the city. She’s a great candidate and I wish them both luck.”

Walsh added that during the preliminary there were “unauthorized” pieces of campaign literature linking him and Edwards. (Edwards told a local television station her campaign was not involved with those; an outside group supporting both her campaign and Mayor Walsh’s re-election campaign had distributed the flyers.)

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District 2

This is another closely watched race in Boston. The two contenders are Mike Kelley, a former aide to the late Mayor Thomas Menino, and Ed Flynn, a son of Ray Flynn, who served as mayor before Menino and went on to become US ambassador to the Vatican.

The district includes South Boston, Beacon Hill, the Financial District, Chinatown, the South End and Bay Village.

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(Republican file photo)

Charges of voter fraud are roiling the race. Two community groups – one of which endorsed Flynn – are alleging "vote-farming" is taking place in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.

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District 7

The district includes Roxbury, the South End, and Fenway.

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District 8

The district includes Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Mission Hill and the West End.

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District 9

The district includes Allston-Brighton.

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Some aren't facing an opponent

Four city councilors don’t have an opponent: Frank Baker (District 3), Andrea Campbell (District 4), Timothy McCarthy (District 5), and Matt O’Malley (District 6).

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City elections department has more

The city elections department website, which has seen a major revamp since the last mayoral race, has a guide to voting in Boston, sample ballots, polling locations and how to vote absentee.

More is available here: https://www.boston.gov/calendar/city-boston-general-municipal-election

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(Photo via WGBH Pool)

2018

Municipal elections can be sleepy affairs, even when the mayor’s seat is on the ballot. And Boston’s election is sometimes overshadowed by outside events like a World Series quest.

This year, President Donald Trump – and Mayor Walsh’s frequent condemnations of him – has swallowed up news cycles, leaving little political oxygen for other issues.

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(AP file photo)

Trump is also likely to be a factor next year’s races as well. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who did not vote for Trump and is sometimes critical of the administration, is expected to run for a second four-year term and face Democrats who are clamoring for stronger stances against the president.

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(AP Photo)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is up for re-election, running for another six-year term amid increasing chatter that she could be a contender in the 2020 presidential election. She will face whoever emerges from a GOP primary that will likely include state Rep. Geoff Diehl, former Mitt Romney aide Beth Lindstrom, GOP businessman John Kingston and entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai.

Not to mention potential ballot questions that would raise the minimum wage, lower the state sales tax, and create a surtax for incomes over $1 million.

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Read more:

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to face challenger Tito Jackson in Nov. 7 general election

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh maintains massive lead over challenger Tito Jackson, new WBUR/MassINC poll shows

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh defends luring General Electric to city, while challenger Tito Jackson says company 'poisoned' Housatonic River

'Vote-farming' fraud alleged amid City Council race between former mayor's son and former mayor's staffer