Stoughton Local Election — June 9, 2020

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The 5th Principle of Unitarian Universalism is the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. For that reason, First Parish wants to help ensure that everyone in Stoughton is well informed about the Municipal Election on Tuesday June 9. 2020. Procedures will be different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we want to make sure all eligible voters are able to access the voting process that feels safest to them. Please share this information with any Stoughton voters you know!

For the June 9 local election, voters will be able to vote in person at their usual polling place, or by mail using an Absentee Ballot. Massachusetts state law allows ALL registered voters to vote by mail (Absentee Ballot) in any election until June 30, 2020 due to COVID-19. Be sure to request your Absentee Ballot with enough time to be sent a ballot and return it to Town Hall by June 9.

To Vote in Person

Stephanie Carrara, the Stoughton Interim Town Clerk made this video to show what the in-person voting procedures will look like:

Here are the procedures outlined in the video:

  1. When you arrive at your polling place, you will be given a ziplock bag. In the bag will be gloves, a facemask, and a voting pen.
  2. You will put on the gloves, then the facemask. You will need to wear the mask to enter the building and at all times when in the building.
  3. Inside the building, there will be 6-foot marks. You will wait in line standing on a mark and not moving forward until there is an empty waiting space in front of you.
  4. When you enter the room with the voting booths, you will give your address and name to the poll worker, like we usually do, but you will need to stay 6 feet away from the worker, who will be protected behind a plexiglass shield or a face shield. That worker will give you your ballot.
  5. You will go to the usual sort of ballot booth, and use the pen that was given to you in the ziploc bag when you arrived. (After you leave the booth, an election worker will sanitize it before the next voter is allowed to use it.)
  6. You will return the ballot to the exit workers (who will have similar protections to the worker who checked you in and give you the ballot).
  7. After that, you will exit the building, taking a different route so that you don’t pass the people who are waiting to enter.

To Vote by Mail

These are the steps you will take to vote by mail:

  1. Request a Absentee Ballot. Massachusetts law currently allows for any registered voter to vote by Absentee Ballot in any election until June 30, 2020.
  2. To request an Absentee Ballot, you will print this form: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2020-Municipal-Early-Ballot-Application.pdf fill it out, and send it to Stoughton Town Hall – Attn: Town Clerks Office – 10 Pearl Street – Stoughton, MA 02072
  3. Due to the time it will take to send out your Absentee Ballot, then for you to return it by the June 9 election date, it is strongly recommended that you mail your request before the end of May.
  4. The Town Clerk’s Office will mail you an Absentee Ballot.
  5. You will complete the Absentee Ballot and mail it back to Stoughton Town Hall – Attn: Town Clerks Office – 10 Pearl Street – Stoughton, MA 02072
  6. The Absentee Ballot must be received by election day, Tuesday June 9, 2020 in order to be counted. It is recommended that you mail it before Friday June 5 for it to be received in time.

For more information about the June 9 voting procedures, please contact the Stoughton Town Clerk’s office at: 781-232-9224 or 781-341-1300, ex. 9215 or ex. 9103

If you need any assistance with requesting an Absentee Ballot, please email SocialAction@firstparishstoughton.org We would be happy to provide you with the paper form to request your absentee ballot if you don’t have a printer, or give you a stamped envelop if you need that to mail in your request or your ballot.