The Select Board has called for a Special Election on Sept. 21 to fill the vacancy created by Kevin DiMarzio’s resignation.
However, voters who cast ballots on Election Day will have less time to do so — the polls will close two hours earlier than normal.
Board Chairman Kevin Donovan pushed for a September election rather than a date sooner in order to give candidates the same amount of time they would traditionally have if running in an annual town election — about 120 days between the day nomination papers are made available and Election Day.
“We give everyone the same footing we would in a regular town election,” he told his fellow board members Monday night. “I don’t think it should be a snap election.”
The state primary is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 3. However, holding the special town election the same day as the primary would create logistical challenges around mail-in voting, Donovan argued.
State ballots and local ballots can’t be combined onto one ballot under state law; the ballots have to be mailed out and returned separately, which could cause confusion, he said.
The remaining board members agreed with Donovan’s reasoning, adopting the special election date unanimously.
The Select Board also voted to shorten poll hours, however. Voters will be able to cast ballots in person on Election Day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Normally, the polls are open for a town election until 6 p.m.
Donovan and Town Manager Scott Lambiase said voting patterns don’t justify the operational costs required for a 10-hour voting day.
The majority of ballots for the 2024 Annual Town Election came in through early or mail-in voting, and the lion’s share of people who voted in person on Election Day did so before noontime.
Lambiase said elections cost the town more than $600 per hour to pay for poll workers and police details.
“This is an unexpected extra expense, which is why we were thinking, maybe, the reduced hours,” said Lambiase. “But the Town Clerk is happy to do whatever the Board wishes.”
Town Clerk Leanne Adams suggested voting hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Donovan. The Board ultimately decided on 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Select Board member Roger Woods said he felt the hours for the special election should be the same as the annual town election, but that the hourly cost grabbed his attention.
Select Board member Suzanne Djusberg said she felt the polls should open at 8 a.m., but given the number of older poll workers, that an earlier closing time makes sense.
Donovan said the Board could see how the shortened voting day goes, collect feedback, and possibly formalize it going forward.
Whoever is elected in September will fill the remainder of DiMarzio’s term, which expires next spring.
Amanda Zompetti, of Pilgrim Street, has already taken out papers to run for the vacant seat. Zompetti is a member of the Board of Health and treasurer of the Beaver Brook Elementary School PTO.
Former Select Board member Tim Chapin, who narrowly lost his bid for reelection last month, said he will decide over the weekend whether he will run or not.
Nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s Office by Monday, August 5 at 5 p.m.