Town Meeting, Election Postponed Until June

By Carol  Meyer

Hingham voters may find themselves attending the annual Town Meeting at the beginning of summer instead of on the usual spring evening.

Due to Gov. Charlie Baker's recent extension of Massachusetts' stay-at-home advisory to May 4, the Hingham Selectmen decided Tuesday night during a teleconference to postpone the April 27 Town Meeting until June 22 and the May 2 Town Election until June 27. The Selectmen, Town Moderator Michael Puzo, and other town officials will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation.

The new election date means that current elected town officials will serve in their roles longer than expected.

The date changes are possible because local communities, including Hingham, have been granted approval by the state legislature to postpone their annual Town Meeting and town election dates as long as they take place before the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

Proposed new legislation may allow the postponement of Town Meeting even further if necessary depending on the coronavirus situation, but the new town election date will remain the same -- Saturday, June 27.

That's because both absentee and early voting will be done by mail, although communities are required to have a polling place available on the actual election day, according to Town Clerk Eileen McCracken.

More information will be available about the Town Meeting and town election at a later date.

"We will broadcast all the details broadly," Selectmen Chair Karen Johnson said.

What do you think about the date changes? Do you plan to attend Town Meeting this year?

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