Let the voting begin.
The annual town election is on May 17, a week from Saturday, but in-person voting starts today, May 7, in the first-floor atrium at Town Hall. You can cast your ballot there between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Town Hall voting will also be offered on May 8-10, May 12, and May 13-14. (Go here for hours.) Early in-person voting is not offered anywhere else.
If you want to mail your ballot, the town says a round of them were sent out on April 28 to voters who requested one. “Additional ballots will be mailed on a rolling basis through the application deadline,” it says. That deadline is Monday, May 12. You can apply through the online form here.
You can also download an application and either mail it to the town clerk’s office, 26 Court St., Plymouth, MA, 02360, or drop it off at Town Hall. Given the timeframe, we suggest hand delivering it.
If you’re planning to vote in-person on May 17, remember that the number of polling places has been dramatically reduced, from 14 to 5. They are: Plymouth Community Intermediate School, West Elementary School, Indian Brook Elementary School, South Elementary School, and Plymouth South Middle School.
To make sure you go to the right location, first check this zoomable precinct map. Then use this online form to confirm your polling place.
Town Clerk Kelly McElreath estimates that 47 percent of Plymouth voters will have a different polling place because of the consolidation.
The trend in recent years has been toward fewer people casting ballots on election day itself, which is the main reason local officials cited for eliminating nine polling sites. In the November election, 57 percent of all Plymouth ballots were cast early through in-person voting, by mail, or by drop-off at Town Hall.
There are several competitive races this year, highlighted by a five-way contest for two seats on the Select Board. That’s a far cry from 2024, when David Golden ran unopposed for an open seat on the board.
There are also contests for School Committee and Planning Board.
In addition, voters will have their say on two ballot questions.
Question One, which is binding – meaning the outcome will decide the issue – asks whether the town should abandon the civil service process for hiring police officers. Officials say the system makes it difficult to find quality candidates for the Police Department. Others wonder why the question was placed on the ballot one day before the deadline for doing so, without the opportunity for public input.
Question Two, which is non-binding, asks town officials to pressure the state to stop Holtec International from evaporating radioactive wastewater from the former Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Manomet.
But even before the ballots are counted, one outcome is – sadly – all but certain: a large majority of Plymouth residents will not bother to vote. Historically, fewer than two in 10 registered voters participate in local elections.
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.