Senator Rausch: Sep 6 - Primary Voting Info

Everything you need to vote by mail, vote early, or vote in person on Election Day.

View this email in your browser Senator Rausch State House Briefing    Part 2, Chapter 20 (August 25, 2022)    It's primary season! Do you have a plan to vote in the Tuesday, September 6 Massachusetts primary election? As a registered voter, you have the choice to vote by mail, vote early, or vote on Election Day. I fought incredibly hard to bring vote by mail to our Commonwealth, and I'm deeply proud that we have expanded access to the ballot box through my legislative work. In such uncertain times, it is crucial that we protect our democracy by preserving our constitutional right to vote.  In this newsletter, you'll find everything you need to make a voting plan for the Massachusetts primary election. For real-time updates, please follow me on Twitter and Facebook. If you are a constituent and need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me and my team via phone (617-722-1555) or email (becca.rausch@masenate.gov). We are here to help.    Happy voting! Yours in service,     Senator Becca Rausch    Resources at a Glance  Check your voter registration, find your polling place, and preview your ballot  Find your early voting site Register to vote or update your voter registration  Download an application to vote-by-mail, call 800-462-VOTE (8683) to request an application, or email elections@sec.state.ma.us (and include an e-signature)  Application and ballot tracker Find your local election office  REGISTER TO VOTE   The deadline to register for the September 6 primary election is Saturday, August 27. You can check your voter registration, find your polling place, and preview your ballot here.  VOTE BY MAIL Fill out a vote by mail application   If you did not receive a vote by mail application in the mail, you can request one online, contact your local election office, or call 1-800-462-VOTE to get a copy mailed to you. If you are an unenrolled or independent voter, make sure you indicate on the application which party's primary ballot you want to receive. If you do not apply for a mail-in ballot for the primary, or you miss the deadline, you should get another application in the mail in September to vote by mail in the November 8 general election.  Send in your vote by mail application  Simply mail, email, fax, or drop off your application to your town or city clerk. The application sent to you will be addressed with guaranteed prepaid postage. If you submit the application via email, the application must have your signature on it. Your town or city clerk must receive your application by 5PM on Monday, August 29.  Submit your mail-in ballot  You can submit your mail-in ballot via mail, ballot drop box, or at your early voting location.  A mail-in ballot will be sent to you at the address where you registered to vote, or a different address of your choosing if you designated it on your application. You will receive your ballot, instructions for voting by mail and completing your ballot, and an envelope pre-addressed with postage guaranteed to send to your local clerk. Remember to check the back side of your ballot and vote there too. Do not forget to sign your ballot!  The deadline to drop off your ballot is 8 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, September 6. If you mail your ballot, it must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by your town or city clerk by 8 PM on Tuesday, September 6.  VOTE IN PERSON - EARLY OR ON ELECTION DAY If you do not want to vote by mail, you can still vote early in person or head to the polls on Election Day.   In-Person Early Voting  Polling will begin on Saturday, August 27 and end on Friday, September 2.  Voting on Election Day  Polls will be open from 7AM-8PM on Election Day, Tuesday, September 6th. If you are in line by 8PM, you must be allowed to vote.   If you have any questions about voting in Massachusetts, please don't hesitate to reach out to my office at 617-722-1555 or the Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office at 1-800-462-VOTE. Happy voting!   Virtual Evening Office Hours   My team and I host virtual office hours every month. Residents from any part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District, as well as residents of the Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District (which takes effect in January 2023), are welcome to share their questions and opinions on state issues with me and my team via video chat or phone call.     Sign up for a 15-minute appointment here.          Upcoming virtual office hours:     Monday, September 12, 5-6 PM Our mailing address is: The Office of Senator Becca Rausch Massachusetts State House, Room 218 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133

Town Clerk's office completes testing of the voting machines

"The Town Clerk’s office has been hard at work preparing for ballot testing this week. All of our tabulators have been tested for accuracy & have been confirmed as ready for voters! In-person voting for the State Primary Election is 9/6/22 at Franklin High School from 6 AM - 8 PM"

Early voting opens Saturday, Aug 27 at 9 AM at Franklin High School. All 9 precincts vote in one place.

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1562828012986703873 

More info on the election can be found on the Town Clerk page

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

Testing conducted in public on Wednesday, Aug 24 was also reported via

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/08/town-of-franklin-voting-machines-pass.html

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

 

Town of Franklin voting machines pass processing test on Wednesday

"An election ritual in Franklin and other communities that use automated ballot tabulating machines, is bringing them "out of the closet" and testing them to make sure they process ballots properly.

That was the task in mind when Town Clerk Nancy Danello and a team of helpers set up the machines in the Council Chamber of the municipal building on Wednesday morning and commenced to run batches of Republican and Democrat primary ballots through them. The activity, open to the public, attracted a handful of spectators -- some with questions about the process and about voting security in general."

Continue reading the article at the Franklin Observer

https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/118545/town-tabulators-tested

In advance of the State Primary, Sep 6, 2022 (early voting opens Aug 27, 2022), I had two conversations with Town Clerk Nancy Danello to talk about the preparations for the Primary as well as the overall election process

  (1) https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/07/multiple-updates-discussed-with-town.html   (2) https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/08/nancy-danello-franklin-town-clerk-talks.html

Town of Franklin voting machines pass processing test on Wednesday (Franklin Observer photo)

Franklin Cultural District: #artshappenhere - Farmers Market & Franklin TV Block party among highlights

The Farmers Market resumes its busy self this Friday. Franklin TV hosts a 'block party" on Saturday. La Cantina & 67 Degrees provide music & liquid refreshments as #artshappenhere continues within the Cultural District this weekend.

Note: Franklin author Susan K Hamilton has her book launch at Escape Into Fiction on Tuesday.

 
Thursday, August 25
6:00pm - Kendo (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

Friday, August 26
2:00pm - Farmers Market (Franklin Town Common)  

Town Common

4:30pm - Riana's Plate (food truck) (67 Degrees Brewery)
6:00pm - Patrick Durkin (live music) (La Cantina Winery)
6:00pm - Dave Penza (live music) (67 Degrees Brewery)

Saturday, August 27
11:00am - Yoga in the Taproom (ticketed event) (67 Degrees Brewery)
9:00am - State Primary - In Person Early Voting (Franklin High School)
10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

2:00pm - South Street Six (live music) (La Cantina Winery)
3:00pm - Franklin Cable Block Party (Franklin TV Studios Hutchinson St)
4:00pm - Franklin Cable Annual Meeting  (Franklin TV Studios Hutchinson St)

Sunday, August 28
1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)  

Main St sign for "Escape Into Fiction"

Monday, August 29
9:00am - State Primary - In person early voting (Franklin High School) 

Tuesday, August 30
9:00am - State Primary - In person early voting (Franklin High School)

5:00pm - Author Susan K Hamilton book launch for "Stone Heart"  (Escape Into Fiction)

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The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Franklin Cultural District: #Artshappenhere

Town of Franklin early voting schedule for the September State Primary

The State Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 from 6am-8pm at Franklin High School Gymnasium. 

In person early voting will take place August 27 - September 2 at the Franklin High School Gymnasium (218 Oak Street) or Franklin Municipal Building (355 East Central Street). 

The Franklin High School in person early voting dates are as follows...

• August 27 9am-3pm
• August 29 9am-3pm
• August 30 9am-3pm 
• August 31 9am-5pm
• September 1 9am-3pm
• September 2 8am-12pm

You may also vote early in person at the Franklin Municipal Building Monday through Thursday from 8am-4pm and Friday from 8am-1pm, now until September 2nd, 2022.

Town Clerk Nancy Danello talks about the State primary in this audio segment

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

And in this audio segment, about the overall election process 

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

Town of Franklin early voting schedule for the September State Primary

Notice from the Office of the Town Clerk regarding Early In Person Voting

The State Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 from 6 AM - 8 PM at Franklin High School Gymnasium. In person early voting will take place August 27 - September 2 at the Franklin High School Gymnasium (218 Oak Street) or Franklin Municipal Building (355 East Central Street). 

The Franklin High School in person early voting dates are as follows...

August 27 9am-3pm

 August 29 9am-3pm

August 30 9am-3pm 

August 31 9am-5pm

September 1 9am-3pm

September 2 8am-12pm

You may also vote early in person at the Franklin Municipal Building Monday through Thursday from 8am-4pm and Friday from 8am-1pm, now until September 2nd, 2022.

Shared from Town of Franklin Town Clerk ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/notice-office-town-clerk-regarding-early-person-voting

 

 

Nancy Danello, Franklin Town Clerk talks about the Election Process - 08/03/22 (audio)

FM #834 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 834 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Clerk Nancy Danello. We met in the Town Clerk office in the Franklin Municipal Building to discuss the overall election process. The overall process is functionally the same for the State Primary and for the regular November election. The cutoff dates, the early voting dates, and the election dates will change but the process remains basically the same. 

We cover the following key topics

• Vote by mail and early voting now permanent per State legislation

• “Independent” voters need to check the box for which primary ballot they want (Democrat or Republican, don’t need to make that choice for the November election)

• If you are registered with a party and you want the other party's primary ballot, checking the box is not sufficient. You need to submit a “part change form” to get the other party ballot. 

• Vote by mail process walked through, similar to in person voting whether early or day of

• Validation of machine tallies to be scheduled

• Only the total of voters casting ballots are tallied each day of early voting

• Early and absentee ballots to be process during the Primary day

• Vote totals at the close Primary Day will be “unofficial” until certified within the next 3 days to become official vote results

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

Our conversation runs about 28 minutes, so let’s listen in to my conversation with Nancy. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-834-franklin-ma-town-clerk-on-the-election-process-08-03-22

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

Register to vote ->   https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/ 

State Primary early voting schedule  ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/news/state_primary_early_voting_schedule.pdf 

  

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

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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"

Nancy Danello, Franklin Town Clerk 

Multiple updates discussed with Town Clerk Nancy Danello in advance of the Sep 6 State Primary -07/26/22 (audio)

FM #833 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 833 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Clerk Nancy Danello and Dyan Fitzgerald, Deputy Town Clerk. We met in the Town Clerk office in the Franklin Municipal Building to discuss the preparation for the State Primary election scheduled for Sep 6, 2022.

We cover the following key topics

• Vote by mail and early voting now permanent per State legislation

• Town Council required to approve the schedule and police detail before each election

• Secretary of the Commonwealth mailed vote by mail cards to registered voters

• “Independent” voters need to check the box for which primary ballot they want (Democrat or Republican, don’t need to make that choice for the November election)

• Early voting schedule being approved by Secretary of the Commonwealth 

• in Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours

• Effectively one week before the Sep 6 primary at FHS

• Absentee ballot applications available now

• State Primary Day - Sep 6, 2022

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

Our conversation runs about 14 minutes, so let’s listen in to my conversation with Nancy and Dyan. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-833-town-clerk-updates-on-the-state-primary-election-sep-2022-07-26-22

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

Register to vote ->   https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/ 

Sample ballots for Sep 6 -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/news/state-primary-9-6-2022-sample-ballots

In person early voting schedule for State Primary -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/news/state_primary_early_voting_schedule.pdf

9 precincts for Franklin -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/2022_precinct_map.pdf

  

New vote by mail drop off box at Municipal Building ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/news/new-vote-mail-drop-box

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

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"

new vote by mail drop off box at the Municipal Building