A discussion about making early, in-person voting available for the June 9 election is set to happen Thursday at 9 a.m. during a meeting of the Board of Registrars at Abbot Hall.
The election will decide a three-year, three-tiered override (up to $15 million) increasing property taxes permanently. A second $2.3 million trash override is also on the ballot, as well as local races for Select Board, School Committee and other positions.
The status of in-person early voting has been unclear since a staffer at the Town Clerk’s Office told the Current that there would be no early voting, and then Clerk Robin Michaud posted to social media that a final decision had not been made. Michaud did not respond directly to requests from the Current for comment.
Margie Herrick, who serves on the town’s Board of Registrars, supports in-person early voting.
“This is such an important vote for the future of our town that we should strive to make voting available to as many Marbleheaders as possible,” Herrick said.
The Current asked Michaud how many people voted early and in-person in last June’s town election and the July referendum on the MBTA Communities Law.Her office did not supply those numbers.
After the 2024 presidential election, Michaud told the Current that 7,672 votes were cast during the early voting period and through mail-in ballots, representing 45.45% of the town’s 17,099 registered voters. That pre-Election Day total included 2,976 in-person early voters and 4,696 returned mail-in ballots.
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer said he believes any hurdles to in-person early voting “are not insurmountable.”
“I think you would want residents to have as much opportunity to vote as possible,” he added.
Select Board Chair Dan Fox stressed the importance of offering in-person early voting.
“It was available for both the general election and the 3A referendum last year,” Fox wrote to the Current. “Early voting increases access and participation for residents who may not be able to vote on a single designated election day. Many people balance demanding work schedules or other obligations that can make it difficult to get to the polls during limited voting hours.”
Fox added, “Early voting provides flexibility and helps ensure that more voices in the community are heard. By spreading turnout across multiple days, it can create a smoother and less stressful experience while maintaining the integrity of the voting process. Most importantly, voting should be as accessible and convenient as possible for every eligible resident. Expanding opportunities to vote strengthens civic participation and helps build greater confidence and engagement in our local democratic process.”
Resident Christine Nuccio is hoping Marblehead voters will have the option to vote in person early.
“Marblehead has an established precedent for early voting,” Nuccio said. “We should encourage as many voters to participate in the June 9 election as possible; early voting will allow voters who can’t vote on June 9 to cast their ballots early in this important election. The point is to increase voting, not limit it.”
Citizens group For Marblehead, which is advocating for the general override on June 9, also called for in-person early voting.
“At Town Meeting, voters overwhelmingly chose to move the override question — one that will shape our schools, services, taxes and future for years to come — to a full town-wide vote… In a moment when residents clearly want to be heard, we should be making participation easier, not harder,” reads a statement from For Marblehead co-chairs Kate Thomson and Matt Hooks.
