WILMINGTON, MA — At Monday night’s meeting, the Wilmington Board of Selectmen — following the recommendation of Town Clerk Touma-Conway — voted to postpone the Annual Town Election, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020, to Saturday, June 20, 2020 due to COVID-19 precautions.
“Legislation allows us to have the election anytime between now and June 30,” explained Touma-Conway. “I would recommend that we plan to hold the election on Saturday, June 20, which moves us out another month-a-half, near the June 30th deadline. It also gives you a Saturday after the Town Election if the date of Town Meeting needs to be reconsidered.”
Touma-Conway added that the Town Meeting warrant would need to be posted by June 1, the last day to register would be June 10, and campaign finance reports for candidates would be due by June 12.
Touma-Conway would rely on a reverse 911 call, press releases to the local media, a PSA on WCTV, the Town’s Twitter account, and the Town Hall’s new Facebook page to help get the word out about the date change.
The Town Clerk’s Office will heavily advertise the vote-by-mail option. Applications are already available.
“With no contested races, this is a great opportunity [for voters] to cast their votes by mail,” said Touma-Conway. “We want less and less people at the voting locations.”
Touma-Conway foresees having difficulties finding election workers for June 20, noting that many of them fall within the vulnerable populations for COVID-19.
“Since school will be out, we’re going to reach out to Rotary Interact and the National Honor Society,” said Touma-Conway. “You don’t have to be 18. We’re allowed two 16 or 17-year-olds per precinct.”
Touma-Conway also noted she’ll be applying for a wavier from the Secretary of State to decrease the number of election workers needed at each polling location.
“Instead of having two people at the check-in desk, we’ll just have one. Same thing at the checkout desk,” said Touma-Conway, who anticipates training new election workers via Zoom.
Touma-Conway has begun exploring other ways to keep voters and election workers safe, including limiting the number of people allowed inside each polling location and establishing cleaning and sanitizing protocols for ballots and writing instruments. Touma-Conway does not believe voters can be asked health questions (how are you feeling today?) or required to wear masks, but will continue to explore these issues.
Selectwoman Jomarie O’Mahony says she doesn’t care if she only gets 10 votes. She just wants everyone to stay safe.
O’Mahony, along with School Committee Chair Jennifer Bryson and Vice Chair Steve Bjork, are all running unopposed, as is Audrey Reed for Housing Authority. There are no contested races on the ballot.
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