Town Clerk encourages voters to vote by mail for Annual Town Election, June 9, 2020

The Annual Town Election originally scheduled on April 28 has been rescheduled to June 9 due to the COVID-19 State of Emergency.

On March 23, Massachusetts passed special legislation to allow all voters to qualify for absentee voting because of health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In keeping with the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for social distancing, the governor’s state of emergency and stay at home order, Town Clerk, Susan M. Galvin, encourages all voters of Milton to consider voting by mail, either as an absentee voter or as an early vote by mail voter. Every voted absentee ballot received by the close of polls will be counted on election day.

How to apply

Absentee ballots and early vote by mail ballots can only be mailed to those voters who request them in writing, though every voter is eligible during the pandemic. The written request must include the voter’s signature or that of an immediate family member or person living with the voter. There are two ways to accomplish this, either complete and submit an application or simply write a letter that contains the voter’s name, voting address, signature, the mailing address for the ballot and contact information for the voter. Voters may choose to request absentee ballots be mailed to them just for the annual town election or for the remainder of 2020. If for all year, the voter must also include which party ballot to send for the Sept. 1 Massachusetts State Primary: democratic, green-rainbow, libertarian or republican. If no party ballot preference is provided, a ballot will not be sent.

Application forms are available on the town clerk pages on the town of Milton website at https://www.townofmilton.org/town-clerk and select the link on the left of the page.

Ways to submit a request for an absentee or early voting by mail ballot by mail

Email the signed absentee ballot or early voting by mail ballot request to [email protected] or fax to 617-696-6995 or place it in the drop box at Town Hall (located directly on the north side of the building) or mail it to Town Clerk, 525 Canton Ave., Milton, MA 02186. If you are emailing your application or letter, you must be able to send an image of the application as an attachment, either by scanning it or by taking a picture of it. A hand-written signature must be visible

Ballots are mailed out in the order requests are received and voters are urged to file requests as soon as possible. The legal deadline to file a request for an absentee or early voting by mail ballot is noon June 8 but realistically voters should allow plenty of extra time for mail delivery in both directions. Ballots may be returned by mail or placed in the town clerk drop box, as described above.

Other voting and election information

For information about voting or to see the annual election ballot, visit the Milton town clerk’s pages on the town website at https://www.townofmilton.org/town-clerk and select a topic in the blue Elections links on the left of the page. Questions should be sent by email to Town Clerk, Susan Galvin at [email protected] or by phone 617-898-4859 during the pandemic.

Register to vote now

Only Milton residents who are registered to vote by May 28 will be eligible to vote in this year’s June 9th Annual Town Election. Once you’re registered to vote and remain at the same address, there is no need to register again.

To register to vote or change your voting address, party affiliation or name, to find out whether and where you are already registered or where you vote, visit http://RegisterToVoteMA.com.