By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — Eight out of the 12 allotted Early Voting dates remain in the run-up to the mid-term State Election on Tuesday, November 8, inclusive of today.
Each community set its own hours during the Early Voting period within the prescribed dates to be held ahead of the actual election day. Cities and towns are also mandated to make some of these sessions available to voters on evenings and weekends.
Locally, Town Clerk Susan Duplin chose to have two Early Voting sessions on Saturdays. Early Voting takes place in the gymnasium at Town Hall, 235 North St., for all four precincts, and began this past Saturday, October 22. And, since the voter registration deadline for the November 8 election is this coming Saturday, October 29, Duplin said her office at Town Hall will be open until 5 p.m. on that date to accommodate voter registration. Since the office must remain open until that deadline, it makes sense to also have the polls open for the same period of time.
New voters who wish to register to vote but who cannot make it to the Town Hall this Saturday also have the option to register online until midnight via the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office on that date. Duplin stated that the voter registration deadline used to be 20 days prior to an election, but now voters have been given an extra 10 days as action taken by the legislature this past spring made this and other voting access changes permanent in May.
EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE FOR STATE ELECTION
Three dates remain with evening hours in the Early Voting schedule when the polls will be open for 12 hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 27, Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Thursday, Nov. 3.
The remaining Early Voting in-person voting dates and times for the State Election will be held as follows, all in the gymnasium at Town Hall:
• Thu., Oct. 27: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Fri., Oct. 28: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Sat., Oct. 29: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Mon., Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tue., Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Wed., Nov. 2 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thu., Nov. 3: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Fri., Nov. 4: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All residents who registered to vote between July and September should have received a mail-in voting application in the mail. If they did not receive one, the deadline to apply is Tuesday, Nov. 1 by 5 p.m.
The absentee ballot application deadline for those who have an excuse, such as being out of town on Election Day, is also Tuesday, Nov. 1 by 5 p.m.
SIGN THE ENVELOPE!
Voters who choose to do mail-in voting must sign their name on the outside of the envelope or it cannot be accepted. Voters also cannot bring their mail-in ballot to the actual polls on Election Day. Voters who wait to cast their mail-in ballot until Election Day and show up at the polls with it will be directed to go to Town Hall at 235 North Street to hand it to a staff person at the counter of the Town Clerk’s office as mail-in ballots must be tracked from start to finish.
The voter can also deposit their mail-in ballot into the red, white and blue striped ballot drop box (located outside near the main front door) prior to it being locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day. But it must be sealed in the official envelope that arrived with the ballot and the outside of the envelope must have the voter’s signature; if it is unsealed, not signed or a regular envelope was used, it will be rejected and the envelope and its contents will be mailed back to the voter.
The state law governing how mail-in and early voted ballots is specified on Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s website as follows: “All ballot counting takes place in public. Ballots will only be removed from their envelopes during public counting sessions at central tabulation facilities and at polling places on Election Day.”
ELECTION DAY VOTING
On Election Day for the state election, which is Tuesday, November 8, the town’s centralized polling location will return to the parish hall at St. Theresa Church, 51 Winter St. All four precincts will vote here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Duplin also noted that the ballot drop off box for mail-in ballots is always locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day, in sync with the same time the polls close.
QUESTIONS
Those with any questions are welcome to contact the Town Clerk’s office at (978) 357-5230 or (978) 357-5218 or via email to Town Clerk Sue Duplin: sduplin@northreadingma.gov;
Assistant Town Clerk Stephanie Connolly: sconnolly@northreadingma.gov; or Secretary
Carol Ducrow: cducrow@northreadingma.gov. Voters may also visit: www.northreadingma.gov/town-clerk/news/early-voting-person-november-8-2022-state-election-info.