Voting absentee? The Town Clerk’s office has a mailbox for that
During the run-up to the Town Election in June, one of the major complaints from residents choosing to vote early was a mailbox.
Not the U.S. Postal Service. It was the small gold mailbox in front of the Municipal Center, which in normal times was a repository for bill payments when the building was closed. The COVID-19 pandemic turned it into a spot for all envelopes that residents ordinarily would drop off in the appropriate office inside the building.
For the September primary — and, going forward, the November Election — there’s a new red box outside, exclusively for election materials. It joins not only the gold box but also a black bin for outgoing documents and a pink bin for incoming documents for the health, building and planning departments.
Absentee ballots are now available for the September primary election. State law allows registered voters to vote by absentee ballot if they are absent from town during normal polling hours, physically disabled preventing the voter from going to the polling place, unable to come to the polls due to a religious belief or taking safety precautions due to COVID-19 by reason of physical disability. This would include those who are sick, self-quarantined, or simply choosing not to go to a public place for their own safety or for a family member’s safety.
If you would like to vote Absentee in person, please contact the Town Clerk’s office to set up an appointment in advance at 508-839-5335 X1195 or at clerks@graftonma.gov.
Voters must request their absentee ballot in person for the September 1 State Primary Election no later than noon on Monday, August 31or 5 p.m.
on Wednesday, August 26th by mail (absentee and early voting). Applications are available through the Town Clerk’s Office, Town of Grafton website at https://www.grafton-ma.gov/townclerk/news/vote-mail-applications-upcoming-elections, or can be downloaded from the State’s website at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/. Contact the Town Clerk’s Office with any questions at 508-839-5335 ext. 1195 or clerks@grafton-ma.gov.
Early Voting will begin on Saturday, August 22 through Friday, August 28 in the gym of the Municipal Center. Hours: August 22 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. August 24 – August 28 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
