Marlborough receives extra funds for election costs

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Marlborough receives extra funds for election costsRecord turnout expected for Nov. 3 election

By Vicki Greene, Contributing Writer

Marlborough – With an election year like no other, given the COVID19 pandemic, the City Council has approved a $17,328.50 grant awarded to the City Clerk’s office by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a national nonprofit based in Chicago.  The grant will help fund election workers, additional cleaning expenses due to COVID-19, polling place costs and temporary staffing to “help offset additional costs to the Clerk’s office an increase in the volume of Vote by Mail/Absentee ballots,” according to City Clerk Steven Kerrigan.

In a letter to the Council, Kerrigan said as of Oct. 14, his office has processed 9,780 requests for Vote by Mail/Absentee ballots and that all requested ballots have been sent.  Ballots can be mailed to the Clerk’s office, dropped off at the Clerk’s office in City Hall or at the drop boxes in front of and behind, City Hall.

In prior years, when Absentee was the only legal process to mail-in ballots, Kerrigan said his office would typically receive 1,200-1,400 ballot requests and this year his office has seen a 900 percent increase from prior years given the new Vote By Mail option.

There are approximately 23,700 registered voters in the city. Kerrigan noted they had record-setting turnout of 36.3 percent in the September primary; 62 percent of those who voted, did so by mail.  He said he expects Nov. 3 to also be record-setting turnout.

Kerrigan has a small, hardworking, team of three in the Clerk’s office who are helped by approximately 150 election volunteers to respond to requests and staff the polling locations including the two-week early voting period and on Election Day.

Early voting is underway in every community across the state and runs until Friday, Oct. 30.  Marlborough registered voters who choose to vote in person during this time can do so at the Senior Center, 40 New Street.  The location will be open every day, including Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 30.

The deadline to register to vote in MA is Saturday, Oct. 24.

On Election Day, all in-person polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For polling locations and additional information, visit www.marlborough-ma.gov.

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