This will be the first statewide vote on transgender protections in the entire country, and we need every fair-minded person to vote so we can uphold dignity and respect for our transgender neighbors. Find your polling place:

Polling places are open today across the state from 7am to 8pm. Go to yours now and vote Yes on Question 3 to uphold our state law, passed by a bipartisan vote in the legislature and signed by Governor Charlie Baker in 2016, that protects transgender people from discrimination in public places like restaurants and retail shops.

Inactive voters can still vote on Election Day . You may be asked to affirm your address or complete a provisional ballot, but all voters, including inactive voters, should cast your ballot this election. Read more about inactive voters.

Check your registration, as some voters may be listed as inactive if they failed to return a town census.

Ballot Language: Question 3

Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate on July 7, 2016?

Summary

This law adds gender identity to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in places of public accommodation, resort, or amusement. Such grounds also include race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, disability, and ancestry. A “place of public accommodation, resort or amusement” is defined in existing law as any place that is open to and accepts or solicits the patronage of the general public, such as hotels, stores, restaurants, theaters, sports facilities, and hospitals. “Gender identity” is defined as a person’s sincerely held gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior, whether or not it is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s physiology or assigned sex at birth.

This law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in a person’s admission to or treatment in any place of public accommodation. The law requires any such place that has separate areas for males and females (such as restrooms) to allow access to and full use of those areas consistent with a person’s gender identity. The law also prohibits the owner or manager of a place of public accommodation from using advertising or signage that discriminates on the basis of gender identity.

This law directs the state Commission Against Discrimination to adopt rules or policies and make recommendations to carry out this law. The law also directs the state Attorney General to issue regulations or guidance on referring for legal action any person who asserts gender identity for an improper purpose.

The provisions of this law governing access to places of public accommodation are effective as of October 1, 2016. The remaining provisions are effective as of July 8, 2016.

A YES VOTE would keep in place the current law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation.

A NO VOTE would repeal this provision of the public accommodation law.