By Carol Britton Meyer
To avoid confusion, Assistant Town Administrator for Finance Michelle Monsegur recently provided clarification on the local questions related to the proposed new public safety facility and Foster School that will appear on the Nov. 8 state election ballot. Voters will also consider four statewide ballot questions. The local questions will appear on the back of the ballot, and unlike with the statewide ballot questions, the town is required to follow state-prescribed language and is not allowed to place information beside or beneath the questions about what a "yes" and what a "no" vote means. Select Board member Liz Klein explained that the dollar amounts are not allowed to be included in the questions either. As a way of starting to get the word out about these details, Monsegur explained that for both questions, a "yes" vote supports the town borrowing funds and raising taxes to construct the proposed new building, while a "no" vote does not support authorizing the town to borrow funds or raise taxes for that purpose. The town will share more information in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 1 Special Town Meeting, where voters will decide whether to support the proposals -- and also leading up to the Nov. 8 election. By Carol Britton Meyer Hingham citizens wishing to vote in the Nov. 8 state election have a number of different options: vote by mail, vote early in person, absentee vote, or vote in-person on election day. In-person early voting is available at Town Hall from Oct. 22 through Nov. 4. As an option to early voting, all registered voters qualify to vote by mail. All Hingham voters who have not already chosen to receive a vote by mail ballot for the Nov. 8 state election have been sent a vote-by mail application from the Secretary of State’s office. The Town Clerk’s office will process the applications and mail the requested ballots to voters. "Early by-mail voting makes it easier to exercise your fundamental right as an American," Falvey said. "We're asking Hingham citizens to minimize the costs associated with early by-mail voting by returning the ballots they requested!" Falvey noted that more than 1,200 residents asked for and received early mail-in ballots for the September Primary but did not return them. In-person voting for the state election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the Town Clerk link on the Town of Hingham website for full details and voting locations. By Carol Britton Meyer
Hingham voters can cast their ballots at Town Hall for the Nov. 8 state election through the early voting process if they wish to do so rather than vote in-person on Election Day or another option. On June 22, 2022, a Massachusetts election reform law titled “The VOTES Act” was signed into law. Among other things, the VOTES Act makes several of the temporary changes from the 2020 pandemic permanent including Vote by Mail and In-Person Early Voting. Town Clerk Carol Falvey recently announced in-person early voting hours at Hingham Town Hall starting Oct. 22 and continuing through Nov. 4. Check the Town Clerk link on the Town of Hingham website for dates and times for early voting opportunities. Call the Town Clerk’s Office with any questions: (781) 741-1410 or email [email protected]. Visit www.RegisterToVoteMA.com for voter registration information and the elections link on the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website for further information about early voting, absentee voting, the Nov. 8 election, candidates, and the statewide ballot questions. |
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March 2024
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