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Date: 1/18/2022
SOUTHAMPTON – With Southampton officially becoming a two-precinct town as of Dec. 31, there are some changes and important information residents must be aware of for the upcoming year.
According to Town Clerk Luci Dalton, Southampton is currently waiting on the state to confirm the official structure of the two precincts, and which roads belong to which side of town. The town is hoping that the state sends this information out to the town by the end of January so everything can be verified.
“We are just waiting on information from the state to verify streets,” said Dalton. “[For] some streets, the precinct might go down one street, and one side of the street might be in precinct one, and one side might be in precinct two. So, we have to verify the addresses for that.”
Southampton has added a second precinct for the first time in its history thanks to significant population growth based on the 2020 census, as well as a state mandate. According to a state law, once a town goes over 6,200 in total population, that town must add a second precinct. Southampton’s population, according to the 2020 census, totaled 6,224. Southampton had the highest percentage increase in population from the 2010 census to the 2020 census in Hampshire County-experiencing a 7.5 percent increase.
While this does not change the makeup of the government in any way, there will now be two different voting locations in Town Hall for the different precincts. When they conduct their next town vote, precinct one will vote in the first-floor meeting room, while precinct two will vote in the Senior Center. There will be signage directing the residents where to go. Two new voting machines will be sent to the town by early spring, according to Dalton.
In the meantime, Southampton is sending out census forms and dog registration forms over the next couple of weeks to everyone who lives in town. Additionally, for the first time ever, there will be online dog registration payments for only dogs that were registered in 2021. “If they registered their dog in our town last year, they can pay for it online this year,” said Dalton. The link for registration payments will be on the Southampton town website.
Dalton noted how important it is for residents to send their census forms back to the Town Hall, as this information usually dictates where grant funding is allocated and allows the town to accurately collect population data. An envelope from the town will be provided with the census, and people can mail them back to the town clerk’s office. People also have the option of placing the completed census in the black box at the bottom of the stairs at Town Hall that is marked “Town Clerk’s Office.”
Dates for the upcoming Town Caucus, Annual Town Meeting, and Annual Town Election are also now available. According to Dalton, the Caucus will occur on April 5, the Annual Town Meeting will happen on May 3 at William E. Norris Elementary School, and the Annual Town Election is May 17from 12 to 8 p.m.
Currently, there is no early in-person or mail-in voting for the local election in May. The only option for mail-in voting is through absentee voting, and residents who are eligible for this type of voting can obtain an application at the Town Clerk’s Office. The office can also mail an application. According to Dalton, absentee voters need to apply annually, even if they were an absentee voter the previous year.
The voter registration deadline for the Annual Town Meeting is April 13, and voter registration deadline for the Annual Town Election is April 27. The town clerk’s office will be open until 8 p.m. both of those nights, and people can register online up until 11:59 p.m. A list for open positions for the election will be posted by Jan. 21. Nomination papers will be available to be taken out on Feb. 1.
A postcard will be sent out to all residents with more information about the new precincts once the state officially releases more information to the town. “It’s going to be different, but we’re going to try our best to get people to get used to going to two different precincts,” said Dalton. “We’re going to have more workers here and two separate entrances for people to go in and out, so we’re going to try and make it as smooth as possible.”