The only opportunity voters will have to vote on the Warrant Articles is on April 13.
The polls at AE/MS will be open from 11 AM to 7 PM.
Just as COVID upended the Primary and the General Election in 2020, it is also changing how we will do our town elections this year.
As you know, our 2021 Town Meeting has three parts to it. Given the large number of people who usually attend, we were not able to have a safe, socially distanced in-person meeting on the second Tuesday of March. Instead we had two Zoom meetings to go over procedures and the warrant articles. Voters submitted questions and proposed amendments. Because there is no way to securely check-in or vote yea or nay over Zoom, the state requires us to have a third date reserved for voting.
Many of the adjustments that were made for COVID for the 2020 election have been extended, and others are not allowed.
Voters may still vote absentee using concern for COVID-19 as a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. You may call, e-mail, or stop by Town Hall to get an application for an absentee ballot. You can also download the application for an absentee ballot from the town website. You will notice that the absentee ballot application does not list “concern about COVID” as a reason for requesting an absentee ballot. You should check off the “disability” box.
It is important to note that if you request an absentee ballot you will receive 2 ballots: the Town Officers Ballot and the School District Ballot. None of the Town Officers positions are contested. There are more candidates for School Board than there are openings. Please take the time to read the candidates’ statements in the March Beacon, and be an informed voter.
If you stop by Town Hall in person and fill out the absentee ballot application right away, you can receive the Town Officers Ballot and the School District Ballot immediately. You can vote then and return your ballot all in one visit to Town Hall. If you receive your ballot in the mail, the best way to return it is to drop it off in person at Town Hall. The State is not allowing drive through absentee voting before the election on April 13 as we had done for the Primary and the General Election.
Please note: if you vote absentee, you will not receive the Warrant Article Ballot. In order to vote on the warrant articles, you must vote on April 13.
On Town Election Day, April 13, there are two ways to vote. You may come into the AE/MS to vote in person, or you may let one of the greeters know that you would like to vote from your car with curbside/accessible voting. There will be volunteers who will collect your ID information, check you in with the ballot clerks, and return with the paperwork you need to vote on all three ballots: Town Officers Ballot, School District Ballot, and Warrant Articles Ballot.
Please note that we are, as of this writing, under a mask mandate from the governor, and all voters must wear a mask inside AE/MS. There will be a mask free voting area in the back corner of the gym for those voters who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons. Those voters should enter the AE/MS gym from the back entrance on the south side of the building. Once you enter, there will be ballot clerks to check you in and get your ballots for you.
Voting on Town Election Day involves three ballots: the Town Officers Ballot, the School Board Ballot, and the Warrant Articles Ballot, which the State is referring to as the “Alternate Ballot”. Please note that the first article on the Alternate Ballot will be to ask if you approve the optional meeting procedures (i.e. meeting via Zoom and voting the warrant articles on a paper ballot as opposed to meeting and voting by voice or show of hands at an in-person town meeting). If the optional procedures article is not approved by a simple majority, all other warrant articles shall be deemed disapproved. However, the election of officers will be effective. In terms of approving the town’s operating budget, the Select Board and Moderator may convene a meeting before September 1 to adopt an operating budget; or they may elect to deem that the meeting has adopted the previous year’s operating budget article, not including separate warrant articles.
Please take the time to read the warrant articles carefully. They are currently on the town’s website and will be updated after the two Zoom Town Meetings. There are many important warrant articles on the ballot. Make sure your voice is heard, be sure to vote.
Please feel free to call or e-mail me if you have any questions. 735-5756 or leewells.locustfarm@nullgmail.com.