Town Election Voting Restrictions Established by Townsend Selectmen

Voters have become accustomed to being able to vote early in person at Town Hall or to vote by mail for all elections since the early days of COVID. 

This important right has come to an end for all municipal elections in Townsend. The Board of Selectmen voted to end early voting and vote by mail during their meeting on January 23rd. The vote of the Board of Selectmen was not unanimous. Theresa Morse voted against this change.

The request initiated from the Town Clerks office, Kathleen Spofford, cited the cost of mailing ballots as prohibitive. The Town Administrator advised that they expect to have multiple special municipal elections this year, including one for an override. 

Voting in municipal elections in Townsend has been historically low. Those who expect to be able to vote by mail or to participate in early voting may miss their chance to vote. Getting the word out to voters may be difficult which was acknowledged by the Selectmen. Morse expressed concern that some voters will be expecting a ballot in the mail since post cards have already been returned by voters requesting them. 

Absentee voting is still available to voters. This comes with restrictions of its own. Voting absentee requires that the voter is out of town for the entire time that the polls are open or that the voter is medically unable to go to the polls. 

The next municipal election in Townsend is April 22. Those who plan on voting in that election should plan to go to the polls at Town Hall on that date.