MARBLEHEAD — Residents will be able to cast their ballots before the June 9 election date this year after receiving approval from the Select Board on Wednesday.
The Select Board approved three days of in-person early voting after receiving a unanimous recommendation earlier in the day from the Marblehead Board of Registrars.
Early voting will take place at Abbot Hall on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and June 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Assistant Town Clerk Jillian Lewis told Select Board members that in-person early voting is required for state and federal elections but remains optional for local elections.
“It’s automatic at this point for state and federal,” she said at the Select Board meeting. “We still have the option to vote to have it for local, that’s what we did earlier today with the Board of Registrars, now you folks have the task of just setting the hours and the dates based on staffing considerations and turnout from last year’s town election.”
Members of the Board of Registrars discussed the town’s experience with early voting during their meeting, noting that Marblehead offered in-person early voting for a local election for the first time last year.
Lewis said voters may also cast ballots through absentee voting or vote-by-mail ahead of Election Day. Mail-in ballots must be returned to the town clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on June 9 to be counted.
Select Board member Erin Noonan said residents can also go to the Town Clerk’s office and request an absentee ballot and vote immediately after filling out the absentee form.
She said, “Keep that in mind, if you’re a commuter, and you won’t be able to be in town, that you can even go outside of these early voting hours, and the clerks will be happy to assist you.”
Noonan added that she has heard that “There have been folks who have already voted.”
The deadline to register to vote in the election is May 29. Residents may register online through the state election portal or in person at the town clerk’s office.
