Town Meeting/Annual Election Timing

Post date: Mar 18, 2020 2:9:44 PM

Recommend that Board vote to postpone Town election to June 23rd. The enabling law requires it to be held by June 30. The law allows us to put the process on pause, rather than restarting. Thus, the ballot is prepared as if the election was still being held in May and candidates remain those that submitted paperwork by that date. Absentee voting and early voting by mail can start once the ballots are received back from the printer. They will be stored and then counted on the day that the election is actually held. I had shared notes from Mary & Nicole about the webinar they joined previously and included again below.

Recommend that the Board vote to postpone Town Meeting with a date to be set later. Many more uncertainties about fiscal conditions as well as ability to gather in groups so would prefer not rushing at this point. Recall that the enabling law forom the state does have provisions for operation if we cannot hold it before July 1, the beginning of the next fiscal year. We'll want a few weeks lead time once we are comfortable with a date to allow for FinCom review of revised budgets and time for SB to handle any other open items for articles as well as recommendations. Officially, by Town bylaw, we have to post the warrant for annual meeting at least a week before the meeting.

(MMA is keeping a running worksheet for Towns to update election & meeting rescheduling -- pdf is a snapshot as of 3:30 on Friday 4/10)