Haven’t given much thought to the annual town election? It’s underway now, and concludes with in-person voting on Saturday, May 17. If you’re registered to vote – and you should be – there’s still time to get up to speed. Here’s a final-days primer.
WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT?
Voters will elect two members to the five-member Select Board. There are five candidates running, including the two incumbents. The winners will serve three-year terms. Read Fred Thys’s profiles of the candidates here. Read his story on their campaign spending here.
Two seats are in play on the Planning Board. A five-year seat is uncontested, but two candidates are competing for a seat that comes with a one-year tenure. That’s because it will finish out the term of Birgitta Kuehn, who resigned last year when she moved to Chicago.
There are two open seats on the School Committee. Two candidates are running for a seat that carries a one-year term. Four candidates are competing for two seats that are come with three-year terms.
Read Fred Thys’s profiles of the Planning Board and School Committee candidates here.
Voters will also decide on Town Meeting representatives (which are precinct specific). Positions on the Redevelopment Authority and Housing Authority are on the ballot but uncontested. Longtime town moderator Steve Triffletti is up for re-election but does not have an opponent.
Don’t overlook the two ballot questions (the ballot is double-sided). Question 1 is a binding referendum on whether to abandon the civil service process for hiring police officers. You can read Andrea Estes’s story about the civil service issue here.
Question 2, which is non-binding, asks voters whether they want town officials to urge the state to stop Holtec International from evaporating treated water from the former Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Manomet. This is an easy one to call.
You can see a sample ballot here.
WHEN AND HOW TO VOTE
Voting concludes on election day itself, Saturday, May 17. But in-person and mail-in voting has been ongoing. The last day to vote early in-person (at Town Hall) is today, Wednesday, May 14.
If you requested a mail-in ballot and have not yet mailed it, you have until 7 p.m. on May 17 to get it to Town Hall. Our advice: Don’t put it in the mail at this late date.
If you’re planning to vote in-person on election day, make sure you know where you’re going. Voting locations have been reduced from 14 to 5. You can only vote in the precinct where you live. A list of precinct polling places can be found here.
To make sure you go to the right place, first check this zoomable precinct map. Then use this online form to confirm your polling place.
Still have questions? Drop by the town clerk’s office at Town Hall, call it at 508-747-1620, ext. 10169, or email ballots@plymouth-ma.gov.
As of Tuesday evening, Saturday’s weather forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of showers, which is 100 percent not an excuse to skip voting.
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.