In the News: "Secretary Galvin expects historical turnout to exceed 2016"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Voter turnout for the Nov. 3 election is projected to be double the record-setting number of ballots cast in the Sept. 1 state primaries, and even exceed the historical 75% voter turnout in the 2016 election.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin said more will be known about the expected high turnout in the next week as early voting began Saturday and will continue through Oct. 30.

“I’m hopeful. It seems the level of interest is there,” Galvin said in a telephone interview last week. “We had 3.3 million votes in 2016. It seems we will exceed that. We’ve seen a continuing rising number of people registering to vote.”

The historical voter turnout — expected as well in some other parts of the country and driven by the hotly contested presidential race — is also the result of a massive expansion of mail-in voting due to concerns about crowded polling places during the coronavirus pandemic."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://franklin.wickedlocal.com/news/20201017/secretary-galvin-expects-historical-turnout-to-exceed-2016

 

When I talked with Town Clerk Nancy Danello at FHS on Monday, over 1,400 had already been to early vote on Sat-Sun and mid-day Monday. Over 12,000 mail ballots were sent out to registered Franklin voters.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 24.  Visit the Town Clerk page for office hours to register in person  https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk  or register online  https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htm

 

the early voting schedule for Franklin

In the News: "The system isn’t broken right now"

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"Question 2 on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot asks the Massachusetts electorate to adopt ranked-choice voting for nearly all federal and state races — excluding U.S. president — that result in a single winner.

A “yes” vote on the binding referendum supports replacing the plurality-voting system in place with ranked choice voting. A “no” vote opposes changing the existing plurality voting.

If Question 2 passes, ranked-choice voting would be implemented for the primary and general elections in 2022. It would come into play when three or more candidates compete in a single-seat election.

Yes on 2 proponents pitch ranked-choice as a remedy to plurality-voting problems — chiefly split voting and spoiler candidates — in crowded Massachusetts elections."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201005/need-help-figuring-out-question-2-on-november-ballot-proponents-says-it-brings-more-voices-and-choices-to-massachusetts-electorate?rssfeed=true

I am still not convinced of the proposed benefits for ranked choice voting. If I were to schedule a Zoom conference bridge to talk through the pros and cons would you be interested? It wouldn't be recorded, but we (whomever shows up) could discuss this topic. Let me know if you are interested via email or comment.

The Franklin Community Voting Guide for November 2020 is ready for your use to prepare to vote.

Download your copy here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fIIde4DfyieqnK2hTsZDDfMLmoFcqzoO/view?usp=sharing 

In the News: "The system isn’t broken right now"

Franklin Community Voting Guide - November 2020

The Franklin Community Voting Guide for November 2020 is ready for your use to prepare to vote.

Download your copy here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fIIde4DfyieqnK2hTsZDDfMLmoFcqzoO/view?usp=sharing 

 

 

Franklin Community Voting Guide - November 2020

 

In the News: "Mail-in ballots are not ripe for fraud"

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin:

"As President Donald Trump continues to claim the ballots are ripe for fraud, some local experts say that’s not the case in Massachusetts

Is anything in life free from potential fraud?

“No” was Steven Kerrigan’s answer.

Kerrigan is Marlborough’s city clerk, a job he’s held since May, after serving seven years as assistant clerk.

When it comes to mail-in ballots in Massachusetts, Kerrigan said, “I feel relatively certain the system is secure.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201004/mail-in-ballots-local-experts-said-chance-for-fraud-is-almost-non-existent?rssfeed=true

 

Franklin MA: info can be found on the Town Clerk page

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

 

 

Franklin, MA: 2020 Election Schedule

 

Town of Franklin, MA: Business Drop Box available for Mail in Ballots

"Welcome a newly designed official Town of Franklin Business Drop Box which will also service Mail in Ballots.

This is the only location for an official ballot drop box in Franklin.

Stay tuned here for more election updates through November!"

https://t.co/FGG0E35x71

 

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1311378530371018761?s=03

Town of Franklin, MA:  Business Drop Box available for Mail in Ballots

Boston Globe video: Mail-in voting explained

The Boston Globe has a brief video explaining the differences on mail in voting emphasizing the MA process and reiterating that there is no evidence of fraud with this process.  

 

Link to video 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/video/2020/09/19/nation/politics/mail-in-voting-explained/?event

Boston Globe video: Mail-in voting explained

MA.gov: Information For Voters for 2020

Dd you get the election information booklet in the mail from the Secretary of the Commonwealth?  https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htm

You can get your copy at the ma.gov page  https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/IFV_2020.pdf 

or with this Google doc copy:

 

 

MA.gov: Information For Voters for 2020

 

Election recap: Statewide in MA 47 percent of voters voted by mail

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:

"Faced with a historic number of voters, the Sept. 1 Massachusetts primary avoided the weeks-long delays that beset some New York elections. Officials said there is no apparent rash of potential fraud, as officials in Georgia are investigating. “Very positive” is how the state’s top elections officer described the experience.

It was also, in effect, a test run.

With less than eight weeks until the Nov. 3 general election, the scramble to distribute millions of vote-by-mail applications is beginning anew, and local clerks — some of whom struggled with the deluge of primary ballots — are girding for a turnout that could be double, if not more, than the record-setting 1.7 million ballots cast in the primary.

That expected flood is partially the result of the newly expanded option to vote by mail, a route nearly 813,000, or roughly 47 percent of voters, took for the Sept. 1 primary, according to data provided by state officials. And about 1.4 million people have already requested mail-in ballots for the general election, and Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office expects that number to grow as additional mailings asking if voters want a ballot begin to go out."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/11/metro/by-most-accounts-massachusetts-primary-was-historic-success-now-comes-hard-part/

Election recap: Statewide in MA 47 percent of voters voted by mail

“I thought I had them all. .... It was human error”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:  

"The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office will work closely with Franklin in the weeks leading up to the November presidential election, after about 3,000 ballots went uncounted on election night Tuesday.

“We will certainly be heavily involved in the office leading up to November,” said Debra O’Malley, a spokeswoman with William Galvin’s office.

Franklin was one of three communities, along with Newton and Wellesley, to have uncounted ballots as of Wednesday morning. About 750 ballots that were dropped into Newton’s secure ballot drop boxes in the last three hours of the election went uncounted, while Wellesley was unable to get to about 100 ballots, between late drop box submissions and absentee ballots.

But in Franklin, officials said, the Town Clerk’s Office missed about 3,000 mailed ballots that were processed in advance but not yet tallied, which is allowed by state law. The ballots had been processed (checking which residents voted), then locked into the town clerk’s vault, with the expectation that they would be counted on election day.

“They were in the vault and I forgot them,” Franklin Town Clerk Teresa Burr said. “I thought I had them all. .... It was human error.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200904/franklin-town-clerk-human-error-led-to-3000-ballots-counted-late?rssfeed=true

Via Twitter on Friday, and shared to Facebook:

Q - When will the town election results be published?

A = That is a good question. I would guess not until the results are final and official. In case you missed it, the State took over the count process.

Seconded by Town of Franklin:

"Steve is correct. The complete results are being entered by the town staff along with the Secretary of State. They are due by tomorrow but should be done today. We will post immediately when available and when the final results are certified. There will be no preliminary numbers."

(https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1301913940247695360?s=03)

“I thought I had them all. .... It was human error”

November 3 and Special Election (Dec 5) Schedule

With the Primary behind us, and a record voter participation, the run up to the November election will not end the season for Franklin. There is a special election on Dec 5, (yes, a Saturday) to select the replacement for Town Councilor Eamon McCarthy Earls, who resigned effective Sep 6 to go to law school.

The Town Charter requires a replacement election within 90 days, hence Dec 5.

2-8-2 Vacancies shall be filled by special election to be called within ninety (90) days of said vacancy unless a regular or special Town election shall occur within one hundred twenty (120) days.

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/revised_2013_1.pdf

**STATE ELECTION – Tuesday, November 3rd, 7 am – 8 pm FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL GYM**

• Early Voting:  FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL  (2 weeks) starting   Saturday, Oct. 17th through Friday, Oct. 30th

• Saturday, Oct. 17th and Sunday, Oct. 18TH (5 hours per day) TBD
• Monday, Oct 19th  TBD
• Tuesday, Oct. 20th TBD
• Wednesday, Oct. 21st TBD
• Thursday, Oct. 22nd TBD
• Friday, Oct. 23rd TBD
• Saturday, Oct. 24th and Sunday, Oct. 25th   (5 hours per day) TBD
• Monday, Oct 26th  TBD
• Tuesday, Oct. 27th TBD
• Wednesday, Oct. 28th TBD
• Thursday, Oct. 29th TBD
• Friday, Oct. 30th TBD

** SPECIAL TOWN ELECTION – Saturday, DEC. 5th  ( Hours TBD)

• Monday, September 21st -   Nomination Papers Available
• Wednesday, October 14th   -   Last day to obtain nomination papers
• Friday, October 16th   –        Last day to file nomination papers
• Tuesday, October 20th    –      Last day to withdraw
• Monday, November 23rd    -    Post Warrant
• Wednesday, November 25th   –   Last day to register to vote/change party
• Saturday, December 5th –    Election Day

November 3 and Special Election (Dec 5) Schedule

Commonwealth Magazine: "Voting reforms reinvigorated democracy"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin: 

"When the Legislature passed an unprecedented expansion of mail-in voting, they did it for this year only, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that makes crowding into polling places unsafe.

But now, amid record-breaking turnout in this week’s primary, some are calling for mail-in voting to become a permanent feature of Massachusetts elections.

“Voter turnout in the September 1 primary makes one thing abundantly clear– vote by mail should be here to stay,” said Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, executive director of MassVOTE, a coalition that aims to expand voting access, in a statement.

The last time turnout in a state primary election topped 1 million was in 1990, when 1.5 million people voted. This year, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin says that turnout will be more than 1.5 million, although he still did not have a final number. "

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/is-mail-in-voting-here-to-stay-2/

"AT THE START of July, the Legislature passed a landmark bill to expand early voting, implement a secure vote-by-mail system, and strengthen safety measures for in-person voting. Tuesday’s primary was the first major test of these important reforms. They worked.

More people voted in this year’s state primary than ever before. According to preliminary data, over 1.6 million voters cast ballots, totaling more than a third of all registered voters. In recent state primaries, fewer than 1 million voters have showed up at the polls, with voter participation rates mired in the teens and low twenties. This year, several competitive races for Congress helped increase voter participation, but the high turnout was also a product of Massachusetts’ new election laws. In the face of an ongoing  pandemic, Massachusetts did not simply protect voting rights—we reinvigorated our democracy.

The Legislature’s voting reforms gave voters several different ways to cast their ballot. For the first time in the history of the Commonwealth, voters had the choice to vote by mail, to vote in person during a week-long early voting window, or to vote in person on the day of the election. The intent was to empower voters to vote in a way that worked best for them, and it is clear that people availed themselves of the opportunity. Over 1 million people requested mail-in ballots, 180,000 people voted during early voting, and hundreds of thousands more went to the polls on election day. While the vast majority of people who requested a mail-in ballot were able to return it successfully, voters still had the ability to vote in person if they encountered difficulties in the vote-by-mail process."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/voting-reforms-reinvigorated-democracy/

Commonwealth Magazine:  "Voting reforms reinvigorated democracy"

In the News: Franklin vote completes after midnight Thursday (Friday morning)

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"On Thursday afternoon, Debra O’Malley, a spokesperson with Secretary of State William Galvin’s office, said 3,000 full ballots had been misplaced in Franklin and went uncounted on election night. The same thing happened with about 750 ballots in Newton and 100 ballots in Wellesley.

Because ballots must be counted in view of the public, and on election night, tabulating the missing ballots after that day required a Suffolk Superior Court order, which the Secretary’s office says was granted at about 5 p.m. Wednesday night.

Previous reports put the number of uncounted ballots in Franklin at about 600."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200903/updated-it-has-been-determined-more-than-3000-ballots-have-not-been-counted-in-franklin-after-more-boxes-of-ballots-are-found?rssfeed=true 

Boston Globe article

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/04/metro/ap-declares-jake-auchincloss-winner-fourth-district-democratic-primary/

Commonwealth Magazine article

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/glitches-mar-tuesdays-election/

Why did it take so long? The manual process of counting is not efficient

In the News: 4th District race too close to call; Franklin still counting

 From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"The identity of the Democratic nominee from the 4th Congressional District hung in limbo, unresolved, throughout the day Wednesday as Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss clung to a small, but significant lead, and state officials sought to make sure every vote got counted.

Auchincloss, a Marine veteran and moderate Democrat, led his closest competitor Jesse Mermell, a progressive former adviser to Gov. Deval Patrick, by a little over 1,500 votes with over 96% of the vote tallied.

Competing with five others, the two emerged after Tuesday’s in-person primary voting as the leading contenders to win the Democratic nomination in the district currently represented by U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III. Mermell racked up her votes in the liberal suburbs west of Boston, winning handily in her hometown of Brookline and places like Needham, Wellesely and Dover."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200902/4th-district-vote-count-continues-with-auchincloss-leading-mermell?rssfeed=true 

"Election officials in Franklin are still working on Wednesday evening to count the ballots from state primary on Tuesday.

Franklin is the only community in the 4th Congressional District that has not announced unofficial results and many are awaiting the results with baited breath because the leaders in the race are separated by 1,506 votes, according an Associated Press tally. Jake Auchincloss appeared to be holding on to the slim lead over his closest competitor Jesse Mermell, a progressive one-time Brookline selectwoman and former head of the Alliance for Business Leadership.

The delay is because of the large volume of early and mail-in ballots they received, according to Franklin Town Clerk Teresa Burr. Franklin was among the towns that elected not to do the “central tabulation,” instead electing to handle the early and mail-in ballots on Election Day. Burr said they will be reevaluating that for November.

..... 

Galvin’s court petition said there were approximately 751 ballots that had been received via drop box in Newton late on Tuesday and not delivered to the polls to be counted. In Wellesley, there are about 50 overseas ballots and 50 early and mail-in ballots yet to be counted. Another 600 ballots in Franklin had been stored in a vault and were never removed and delivered to precincts on Tuesday for counting."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200902/franklin-election-officials-continued-to-count-ballots-on-wednesday?rssfeed=true

Related article in Commonwealth Magazine

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/auchincloss-leads-mermell-but-count-not-final/

In the News:  4th District race too close to call; Franklin still counting 

“The most important thing to do now is to count all the votes"

 From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"As Sept 2 dawned, the race for the 4th Congressional District House seat showed no sign of ending. 

According to the Associated Press tabulation, fewer than 1,000 votes separated the top two Democrats, former Brookline city councilor Jesse Mermell and Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss. Mermell had led for much of the evening, with the gap between the two dwindling as more towns reported. 

As of 12:45 a.m., 76 percent of the towns had reported results; outstanding were: Bellingham, Berkley, Dover, Franklin, Lakeville, Milford, North Attleboro, Norton, Raynham, Rehobeth and Seekonk. 

In a statement issued shortly shortly before 1 a.m, Mermell’s campaign acknowledged the tight race."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200901/down-to-wire-for-democrats-hoping-for-4th-district-nomination?rssfeed=true

Related article from Commonwealth Magazine

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/mermell-auchincloss-neck-and-neck-in-4th/

“The most important thing to do now is to count all the votes"

In the News: task force formed to tackle car thieves; primary may see record turnout

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin: 

"Several area communities have been targeted by two apparent separate groups of car thieves, and now a task force is seeking to catch the suspects. 

Hopkinton Police said a task force made up of themselves, Holliston, Sherborn, Franklin, Medway, Millis and Wrentham police departments, as well as the Massachusetts State Police, are searching for the suspects. 

“Our detectives have been monitoring this for quite some time,” Hopkinton Chief Joseph Bennett said Monday. 

The task force was set up about three weeks ago. The car thefts, as well as car break-ins, have been occurring for about three months, Detective Sgt. Scott van Raalten said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200831/two-groups-of-car-thieves-are-targeting-area-from-hopkinton-to-franklin-now-seven-area-police-departments-have-set-up-task-force-to-catch-them?rssfeed=true

 

“I think we all know this has been an extraordinary year for virtually everything about our lives, and elections are no different,” Galvin, the state’s elections overseer, said at a State House press conference. 

“We’re having an election tomorrow, I think under the most unusual circumstances.” 

On the eve of a primary election in which ways to participate have been reshaped around the COVID-19 pandemic, Galvin provided a turnout forecast -- he expects 1.2 million to 1.3 million votes, once all are tallied -- and laid out the ground rules for voters."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200831/mass-primary-turnout-could-be-highest-in-20-years/1?rssfeed=true 

Franklin Community 2020 Voting Guide - Primary - Sept 1

A worthy set of material to prepare for the Primary election. Get your copy here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pJTTTmSxr5JwjJVzdBl-ra2_KEAMd0pq/view?usp=sharing 

or here

 

For additional information on voting visit the Town Clerk page

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

For the Franklin voters "election collection" visit

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html

the Franklin voters "election collection"

In the News: “We’re just keeping on top of it"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

Forgive your town clerk if she looks a little bleary-eyed. 

“We’re working around the clock,” Sudbury Town Clerk Beth Klein said. “We’re working weekends. We’re working late at night.” 

With a little more than a week until the Sept. 1 state primary, town clerks throughout the region set up COVID-19-safe sites for a week of state-mandated, in-person early voting that began Saturday, piling the job on top of weeks of unexpected, labor-intensive, mail-in voting work. 

“We’re trying to do the best we can. It’s just a very, very short time frame that we had to do this,” said Ashland Town Clerk Tara Ward, adding that other town departments have pitched in to help. “It was a tight squeeze. All of a sudden we were slammed.” 

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)  

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200822/mail-in-voting-demand-is-straining-local-clerks-offices-heres-reform-clerks-say-they-need-for-november?rssfeed=true 

Vote Early In Person:  FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL GYM

• Sunday Aug. 23         10:00 AM – 3:00 PM 

• Monday, Aug. 24         9:00 AM – 3:00 PM                      
• Tuesday, Aug. 25         9:00 AM – 3:00 PM             
• Wednesday, Aug. 26    9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Thursday, Aug. 27       9:00 AM -  3:00 PM
• Friday, Aug. 28            9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

For additional information on voting visit the Town Clerk page

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

For the Franklin voters "election collection" visit

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html

In the News: “We’re just keeping on top of it"

Big day Saturday: Last Day to Register to vote; First day to Early Vote

Last Day To Register To Vote:   

August 22, 2020

First Day for Early Voting

Vote Early In Person:  FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL GYM
(1 week) starting Saturday, Aug. 22nd through Friday, Aug. 28th

• Saturday, Aug. 22      10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• Sunday Aug. 23         10:00 AM – 3:00 PM 
• Monday, Aug. 24         9:00 AM – 3:00 PM                      
• Tuesday, Aug. 25         9:00 AM – 3:00 PM             
• Wednesday, Aug. 26    9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Thursday, Aug. 27       9:00 AM -  3:00 PM
• Friday, Aug. 28            9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

For additional information on voting visit the Town Clerk page

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

For the Franklin voters "election collection" visit

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html

Big day Saturday: Last Day to Register to vote; First day to Early Vote

Franklin (MA) voter totals for September Primary (2003-2018)

From the Town Clerk section of the Franklin Annual Report come the results of previous September primaries.

Year     Totals

2004 1415

2006 3315

2008 1442

2010 2261

2012 4826

2014 2325

2016 871

2018 4013

2020 ???

Franklin (MA) voter totals for September Primary (2003-2018)

"Voters who chose to vote-by-mail can track their ballots on the secretary of state’s website"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Secretary of State’s Office has already mailed out almost 950,000 ballots in advance of the Sept. 1 primary election, representing nearly a quarter of the state’s 4.5 million registered voters.

The estimate of ballots mailed so far comes as the United States Postal Service faces increased scrutiny over whether it will be able to deliver mail-in ballots on time for local clerks to count them. USPS officials set off an uproar in late July when they warned states that deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Services’ delivery standard.

But on Tuesday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy issued a statement saying that he would suspend operational initiatives “that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic” until after the election, to avoid the appearance of effects on electoral mail.

Secretary of State William Galvin said about 149,000 ballots have been returned to local clerks and he expects mail-in voting will help boost participation while taking into account public health guidelines. The state’s top election official said “a lot of people” who requested ballots were primarily motivated by voting in the November general election, adding that more than a million people asked for ballots for the general election."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200819/nearly-1m-ballots-sent-to-mass-voters?rssfeed=true

Your application and ballot tracker  

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx

Franklin voters can return their ballots at the Municipal Bldg
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/franklin-voters-how-to-return-your-mail.html

Franklin voters can return their ballots at the Municipal Bldg