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Date: 2/21/2023
BRIMFIELD — Mail in voting will not be an option for the town election in June, after the Brimfield Select Board voted 4-1 in favor of opting out.
Select Board Chair Martin Kelly began the Feb. 13 public hearing by saying, “This has to do with whether or not we will continue to do mail in voting for the multiple town elections only. This does not apply to state or federal elections.”
He provided a rough estimate of the prices associated with mail in voting, which is roughly $4,800 for a state election.
When sending a ballot through the mail, he noted that it doesn’t go directly to the town clerk but is handled by many others first, including employees at the post office. Kelly said it is a “recipe for disaster.”
Town Clerk Debra Fagerstrom shared she does not have a favoring opinion on the matter and respects everyone’s voting preference.
Brimfield resident Eva Pittsinger asked how many mail in ballots Fagerstrom received this past year - not absentee - just mail in. Fagerstrom said she sent out around 600 ballots for the state election and received around 400 back. She noted that much of it was a result of “human error.” For instance, if ballot questions were missed on the back, if the ballot was filled out in pencil, among other reasons.
“I don’t think it’s worth it for just a local [election],” said Pittsinger.
Fagerstrom shared, “I absolutely want to do it [mail in voting] if that’s what the voters want.”
She noted that if the town opts out, it would only be for the June 20 town election. If the town wanted to opt out in the future, it would need to be voted on every year.
Resident Maria Thompson asked about early voting for the town election.
Fagerstrom informed Reminder Publishing that the VOTES Act offers municipalities the option to opt out of vote by mail, or to opt in to early in-person voting. “In order to opt in, the Board of Registrars would have to have a majority vote in order to want it and then they would petition the Select Board to opt in.”
Thompson shared that she stopped doing mail-in voting when early voting was an option. However, if the town were to ditch the mail in, she believes early voting should be an option for the people who cannot vote on election day.
Regardless of the Select Boards decision, Fagerstrom said absentee ballots will still be available.
Select Board member Anthony Soto made a motion to go with the recommendation of the town to eliminate the vote by mail for this year only.
The motion was seconded and approved by Kelly, Soto, Vice Chair Suzanne Collins and member Alan Bercovici. Member George Adams was opposed. The motion passed.