Town Clerk Nancy Danello looks at the year ahead; local census, dog registrations, possible Tri-County vote & local election in Nov (audio)

FM #950 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 950 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with Town Clerk Nancy Danello conducted in her office at the Municipal Building on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. 

We talk about the annual census, dog registrations due by April 1, and the election calendar for 2023 including the possible Tri-County school building special election.

The show notes include links to the Town Clerk page and to the Tri-County information.

The recording runs about 20 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio link ->  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-950-franklin-ma-town-clerk-nancy-danello-02-14-23

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Town Clerk’s page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk 

Tri-County new building page -> https://www.tri-countybuilding.com/ 

Tri County School Building Project - Karen Maguire, Tri County Superintendent (presentation to Town Council) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/8a._tri_county_presentation.pdf

Passport processing (by appointment) https://www.franklinma.gov/passport/pages/passport-acceptance-facility-office

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town Clerk Nancy Danello looks at the year ahead; local census, dog registrations, possible Tri-County vote & local election in Nov (audio)

The schedule for a busy Election Day,. Nov 8, 2022

Voting opens at 6 AM at Franklin High School. 

The School Committee has a budget workshop scheduled for 6 PM in the 3rd Floor Training Room. I plan on being there to report/record the meeting.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/11/franklin-ma-franklin-school-committee.html

The School Committee has their organizational meeting and a full agenda scheduled for 7 PM. I will miss the meeting. Franklin TV will record and broadcast via cable, live stream and YouTube.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/11/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-for.html

I'll be at the high school to report on and record the announcement of "unofficial results" when they are available from Town Clerk Nancy Danello after the polls close at 8 PM. (My unofficial "guestimate" ~ 9-9:30 PM at the earliest)

The Election Collection - all the info we have gathered on the local candidates and ballot questions ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/election-collection-2022-state-election.html

The map of the 9 precincts for Franklin

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/2022_precinct_map.pdf

Other information can be found on the Town Clerk's page

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk

Voting in Franklin on Nov 8, 2022

Voting in Franklin on Nov 8, 2022

Voting in Franklin

• The polls are open on election day from 6 AM to 8 PM at the Franklin High School on Oak St
• At the check-In table tell the poll worker your name first, followed by your street number and street name
• If your name does not appear on the list the poll worker will send you to the Town Clerk's table
• To cast your vote in Franklin follow the voting instructions by filling in the oval circle next to the name you wish to vote for. If you need assistance, you may bring someone to assist you or ask a poll worker to provide confidential, non-partisan help

NO political paraphernalia may be displayed within 150 feet of the entrance to the polling location (includes signs, stickers, clothing and lapel buttons).

The map of the 9 precincts for Franklin

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/2022_precinct_map.pdf

Other information can be found on the Town Clerk's page

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk

The Election Collection - all the info we have gathered on the local candidates and ballot questions ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/election-collection-2022-state-election.html

Voting in Franklin on Nov 8, 2022

Town of Franklin: Tabulator Testing shows ballots will be read properly - 10/26/22 (audio)

FM #873 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 873 in the series. 

This session shares the Tabulator Testing conducted in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. 

Town Clerk Nancy Danello opened the session. Deputy Clerk Dyan Fitzgerald assisted and took over to close the session when Nancy left about 10:30ish for a meeting at the high school to plan for the election setup. 

9 or 10 election workers were sworn in to start the process. Other observers arrived as the process was underway. You can hear the welcomes, and overall instructions, and the various question and answer sections.

The full recording was edited to remove the extraneous conversations, noise, etc. The intent of the recording is to share the tabulator testing process as discussed in the open session. 

What is the tabulator? The tabulator is what most would refer to as the voting machine that reads the ballot and tallies the vote by precinct.

The outline of the steps as described by our Town Clerk is provided. The Early Opening sessions as mentioned did start on Friday, Oct 28 and complete Friday, Nov 4, 2022. The steps of the early opening process are provided in the show notes.

The Early Deposit session is scheduled for Saturday, Nov 5 at Franklin High School. They intend to process all the early ballots on Saturday. If something prevents that, they do have time scheduled on Sunday, if necessary.

Ballots still arriving via mail, election dropbox at the municipal building, etc. will be gathered sometime late Tuesday (Election Day), and transported to the high school for processing.

All results Tuesday are ‘unofficial”. The Town Clerk has a couple of days to back in the office to check all the totals before making them ‘official’ to submit to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

The show notes include links to the Town Clerk page and other election information.

The edited tabulator testing recording runs about 43 minutes, so let’s listen in.

Audio file ->  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-873-town-of-franklin-tabulator-testing-10-26-22

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Town Clerk’s page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk 

Transcript of the audio (except for the intro and closing segments read by me (Steve Sherlock)which are spelled out in the 'show notes' document.)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICGkw21S1u9YOQnitAKsklW6j8A76aM5/view?usp=share_link

Tabulator Testing Process outline  ->  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I525elrG6Vhh_TwidcENERfjoRAEufxf/view?usp=share_link 

Early Opening outline ->  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I6tvfzTROGOl_dFYR5OKi58oCdrNAZBX/view?usp=share_link 

Vote by mail process diagram -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/news/vote_by_mail_process.pdf 

Town Clerk podcast episode talking about the voting changes in advance of the Sept State Primary ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/07/multiple-updates-discussed-with-town.html

Town Clerk podcast episode talking about the overall election process -> 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/08/nancy-danello-franklin-town-clerk-talks.html

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town of Franklin: Tabulator Testing shows ballots will be read properly

You are welcome to observe multiple sessions of the advance removal and deposit of vote by mail ballots for the Nov 8 election

Franklin's Town Clerk Nancy Danello posted the notice of "Notice Of Advanced Removal Of Early Voted Ballots From Envelopes And Advanced Depositing Of Early Voted Ballots" on Oct 13, 2022 announcing multiple sessions to process the State election early returns. While the notification contains some legal terms as required by MA General Law, the notification in "kitchen English" outlines the following.

As there are over 6,000 vote by mail and absentee ballots sent out (and more being requested), to ensure a timely and accurate count on Tuesday, Nov 8, the state outlined a process to enable a secure two-step process of these ballots in advance of election day.

Step 1 - Advanced Removal Of Early Voted Ballots From Envelopes

The vote by mail ballots are returned via mail or directly to the Municipal building drop boxes. The outer white envelope is scanned to acknowledge receipt for tracking by the State system. 

For example, my ballot was dropped into the box at the Town Clerk's window on Tuesday as I went into the School Committee meeting. The ballot tracking shows it was acknowledged as "accepted" on 10/26/22. I dropped it off after their working hours, and they processed it during their next business day. (photo below)

The advance removal session will allow us to watch the brown envelope with the ballot be opened, the ballot itself put in a pile, and the voter system updated to show the voter has proved a ballot. Two people perform this process for each precinct.

There is no actual counting of the votes on the ballot. The ballots are simply piled by precinct for feeding into the voting machines at the next session.

The votes by precinct are stored in ballot boxes and secured in the vault. The security of the process is open to observation by Franklin residents.

There are six sessions scheduled for this advanced opening process:

• Friday, October 28 - 9:00 AM

• Monday, October 31 - 9:00 AM

• Tuesday, November 1 - 9:00 AM

• Wednesday, November 2 - 9:00 AM

• Thursday, November 3 - 9:00 AM

• Friday, November 4 - 9:00 AM

Step 2 - Advanced Depositing Of Early Voted Ballots

On Saturday, Nov 5, the advance processed ballots will be moved by Franklin police detail from the Municipal building vault to Franklin High School where they will be processed in the second step. If the processing is not completed on Saturday, it can be continued on Sunday, Nov 6.

The ballots as opened and processed in Step 1 will be securely transferred from the vault to Franklin High School by a Franklin Police detail.

Each set of ballots separated by precinct will be feed into the voting machines. The voting machine overall tally will be noted but the tape to 'count the votes' will not be run. The second set of memory cards for each machine will be installed and the machines will be ready for processing on election day.

At the end of the session, the memory cards for this deposited process, along with the ballots, will be securely transferred from the High School back to the Municipal building vault by a Franklin Police detail.

Election day

Normal in person voting will take place beginning at 6 AM and complete at 8 PM. The precinct voting totals will be tallied and the machines tapes (with the vote totals for each election position or ballot question) will be manually entered into the election spreadsheet.

The memory cards from the Advance Depositing action on Saturday will be placed into each precinct machine so their totals can be run on the tape. That tape will also be entered into the spreadsheet to help complete the unofficial results. 

There are other steps required by the Town Clerk to create the 'official' results, including cross checking all the totals of votes by precinct. She has three days to complete the process and send the results to the Secretary of the Commonwealth to be part of the State certification process. 

In summary, all ballots are paper, counted and tallied in an observed and secure process to guarantee a fair result. The paper ballots can be audited or recounted as required to ensure the results are what they are.

The Advance Notice document (PDF format)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Y1239lXnCDqRnTiSVYCmGthnMEgd5f0/view?usp=sharing

The link to the Town Clerk page where it was posted Oct 13, 2022

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/news/notice-advanced-removal-and-deposit-ballots

Town Clerk link (directly opens up a Word doc)

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/news/notice_of_advanced_removal-deposit_11-8.docx

My vote by mail ballot status

You can check your vote by mail status at this link

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/TrackMyBallot/

You are welcome to observe multiple sessions of the advance removal and deposit of vote by mail ballots for the Nov 8 election

Tabulator testing completed Wednesday, demonstrating the voting machines count what they should

"Wednesday morning, the Council Chambers at the municipal building became the scene of a mock election, as batches of ballots, marked up randomly, and in some cases very incorrectly, by a third party,  some with too many selections or markings out of the proper area, others no longer exactly flat.

The nine machines, one for each precinct, were put through their paces with the sample ballots by a crew of election workers and election wardens, all  under the eye of Town Clerk Nancy Danello and Assistant Town Clerk Dyan Fitzgerald. Also present was the Observer, Steve Sherlock from Franklin Matters (who recorded audio of the whole process) and a few members of the public."

Continue reading the Observer's recap ->

https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/128573/ballot-machines-tested-muni-building-wednesday

 

As noted, I am processing the audio of the testing session. Our Town Clerk Nancy Danello was happy to wear a microphone for the event so her outline of the process as well as many of the questions asked of her were captured and will be shared as soon as possible.

demonstrating the voting machines count what they should

Please don't make this an "apathy election" - get out and vote on or before Nov 8

“There does seem to be a certain lack of intensity.”

⁃ Sec. of State Bill Galvin on the 2022 state election

There’s your early leader in the clubhouse for understatement of the year. And according to Galvin, the “slow” pace of mail-in voting points to a turnout of hundreds of thousands fewer voters than the last midterms.

It’s not as if the 2018 ballot was significantly sexier than this year’s uncompetitive dud. The Warren-Diehl Senate race never polled closer than 22 points. The Baker-Gonzalez gubernatorial matchup was like an old Mutt & Jeff comic strip without the hilarity. The ballot questions were low-key affairs.

This cycle features an open governor’s race that held the potential for competitiveness until GOP leadership drove their chances into a bridge abutment, vacancies for attorney general and auditor, and ballot questions touching on third-rail issues of taxation and immigration. And while the Congressional seats are barely contested, a red-hot battle for Capitol control in the lower 49 states could have conceivably pulled out some message-sending locals."

Continue reading Jon Keller's opinion online -> 

https://massterlist.com/2022/10/25/the-apathy-election/

The Election Collection contains all the info that should be helpful to Franklin voters. If you don't find something, please let me know and we'll se if it can be obtained.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/election-collection-2022-state-election.html

Election Collection 2022: State election November 8

Tabulator/voting machine testing - October 26 at 9 AM

Our Town Clerk Nancy Danello has scheduled the tabulator/voting machine testing for Wednesday, Oct 26 at 9 AM in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building.

Observers welcome!

• See for yourself how voting is paper ballot based
• See how the machines have no connection to the internet

This is an opportunity to ask about how the vote is tabulated by the machine, cross checked manually, and then tallied in a spreadsheet to produce the 'unofficial results'. The Town Clerk then has time in the office to validate the checks, etc. to confirm and produce the 'official results'.

The testing was completed prior to the September primary and reported on previously: https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/08/town-clerks-office-completes-testing-of.html

Town Clerk notification of testing -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/news/tabulatorballot-testing-october-26th-see-attached

All of our tabulators have been tested for accuracy & have been confirmed as ready for voters (Town of Franklin photo)

60 Minutes: "Dominion Voting Systems CEO speaks out against conspiracy theories" (video)

"Can you flip votes in the computer system? Can you add votes that did not exist?" Anderson Cooper asks Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos. "Absolutely not," Poulos says. See the interview, Sunday on 60 Minutes.

Video link -> https://youtu.be/31grSlMVFDU

Shared from CBS News: -> 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dominion-voting-systems-ceo-machines-conspiracy-theories-60-minutes-2022-10-23/#app

The MA voting system administered by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and used by Franklin (along with the other 350 communities) is

• paper ballot based
• the voter registration system is a closed network (not part of Internet)
• highly secure

Town of Franklin, MA: Town Clerk reminds of early voting schedule

Franklin Voters! 

The State Election will be held on Tuesday 11/8, 2022 from 6 AM - 8 PM at the @FranklinHS Gymnasium. 

Early Voting will run 10/22 - 11/4 at the Franklin Municipal Building ONLY (355 East Central Street).

More information here: https://t.co/f01g5uboZv  or ->  

https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/information-franklin-voters-regarding-upcoming-election

Shared from Twitter -> https://t.co/ugVZKFd17h  

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1582783621458710528

Town of Franklin, MA: Town Clerk reminds of early voting schedule

Information for Franklin Voters Regarding the Upcoming Election

Notice from the Office of the Town Clerk's Office regarding in person early voting, mail-in ballots, and election day.

The State Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 from 6am - 8pm at the Franklin High School Gymnasium. In person early voting will take place October 22nd - November 4th at the Franklin Municipal Building ONLY (355 East Central Street). There will be NO in person early voting at Franklin High School.

The Municipal Building in person early voting dates are as follows…

• Saturday, Oct. 22 in person: 9am -3pm
• Monday, Oct. 24 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Tuesday, Oct. 25 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Wednesday, Oct. 26 in person: 8am - 6pm
• Thursday, Oct. 27 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Friday, October 28 in person: 8am - 1pm
• Saturday, Oct. 29 in person: 9am - 5pm *Last day to register to vote*
• Monday, Oct. 31 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Tuesday, Nov. 1 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Wednesday, Nov. 2 in person: 8am - 6pm
• Thursday, Nov. 3 in person: 8am - 4pm
• Friday, Nov. 4 in person: 8am - 1pm

The last day to register to vote is Saturday, October 29th, 2022. You may check or update your information via the State's Online Voter Registration tool: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/

Ballots arrived at the Town Clerk's office on October 11th, 2022. Our staff is working diligently to ensure all voters that have already requested a mail-in ballot receive them in a timely manner.

Requesting a Mail-In Ballot

Voters may apply to receive a mail-in ballot by Tuesday, November 1st at 5pm the latest. Voters are encouraged to apply as early as possible for a mail-in ballot, especially if your ballot will need to be mailed out of town. The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing up to 7 days for mail delivery. To ensure you receive your ballot with enough time to mail it back, you should apply 2-3 weeks before Election Day. Your application can only be accepted if it has reached your local election office by the deadline. You may apply to receive a mail-in ballot online here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleabsentee/absidx.htm

Returning Your Ballot
Once you have received and completed your ballot, you may return it by…

• Mailing it back using the envelope provided; or
• Hand-delivering your ballot to the Town Clerk's Office in the Municipal Building during Early Voting hours or during regular business hours on November 7th (8am - 4pm) and before 8pm on November 8th, 2022; or
• Hand-delivering your ballot using our ballot drop box any time before 8pm on November 8th, 2022. Both ballot drop boxes are located at the Franklin Municipal Building. 
  • 355 East Central Street (To the left of the building)
  • 355 East Central Street (Mail slot to left as you enter walkway to main entrance)

Please note that Ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day.   

You may track your ballot once you have mailed it here:   https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx?fbclid=IwAR05tPzvphL6RcC30l3vjBcdlmDilXXeskulh-S_5-RLBl5idHG1qRwLGtU   

Please see the attached voting schedule flyer. Questions? Call the Town Clerk's Office at 508-520-4900.

Shared from Town of Franklin page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/information-franklin-voters-regarding-upcoming-election

Information for Franklin Voters Regarding the Upcoming Nov 8, 2022 Election

Town of Franklin: Early Voting Schedule for Nov 8, 2022 Election

Early voting for the Town of Franklin voters will be held in the Municipal Building at 355 East Central St. There Will Be NO Early In Person Voting At Franklin High School

• Saturday, October 22 - Early Voting in person 9:00 am until 3:00 pm

• Monday, October 24 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Tuesday, October 25 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Wednesday, October 26 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 6:00 pm

• Thursday, October 27 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Friday, October 28 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 1:00 pm

• Saturday, October 29 - Last Day to Register to Vote and Early Voting in person 9:00 am until 5:00 pm

• Monday, October 31 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Tuesday, November 1 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Wednesday, November 2 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 6:00 pm

• Thursday, November 3 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 4:00 pm

• Friday, November 4 - Early Voting in person between 8:00 am until 1:00 pm

More information on the election can be found on the Town Clerk's page

https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk

Town of Franklin: Early Voting Schedule for Nov 8, 2022 Election

Senator Becca Rausch and I had a wide ranging conversation on education, health care, elections & voting, and more (audio)

FM #857 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 857 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Senator Becca Rausch. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this post pandemic period.

We have a wide ranging conversation on education, health care, elections & voting, and of course climate. Links to the Senator’s pages as mentioned during our conversation are provided in the show notes.  

Our recording runs about 41 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Senator Becca Rausch.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-857-state-senator-becca-rausch-10-03-22

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Senator Becca Rausch home page:   https://www.beccarauschma.com/ 

Her issues page:  https://www.beccarausch.com/issues    

Constituent engagement opportunities

• Youth advisory council  https://www.beccarauschma.com/youth-advisory-council 

• Small business advisory council  https://www.beccarauschma.com/small-business-council 

• Virtual office hours   https://www.beccarauschma.com/office-hours 

Newsletter archive  https://us20.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=09452b4d597ce95fe20563af4&id=c427233b9b  

Hey Sam - support line -> https://samaritanshope.org/our-services/24-7-helpline/ 

From the audio archives: 

The conversation recorded in March 2021

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-492-senator-becca-rausch-031121-audio.html 

The conversation recorded in August 2020

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/fm-331-senator-becca-rausch-81420-audio.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

what is your voting plan?