Town Clerk's Office Ramps Up for Special Dual Election

The Winchester Town Clerk's office is ramping up in preparation for the special dual election less than a week away.

What's on the Ballots?

On Tuesday, June 25, the special town election ballot features one question, which asks voters if they will allow the town to assess additional real estate and personal property taxes for fiscal 2013 starting July 1 for the purpose of funding a $350,000 capital stabilization technology fund to be used to pay for equipment, software and professional services for infrastructure of town-wide network, including wireless, major communications upgrades and fiber cable backbone expansion or replacement.

Residents will also have an opportunity to vote in a special Senate election by voting for either Democratic Congressman Edward Markey, Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez or Twelve Visions Party candidate Richard Heos. They are vying for John Kerry's Senate seat after he took over as Secretary of State for the Obama Administration.

Double Time

Despite having increased clerical tasks to contend with, things have gone smoothly ahead of the election, according to Town Clerk Mary Ellen Lannon.

"With every election, the preparation time is critical to the success of the election," Lannon said. "The dual election is double the clerical work in preparing the supplies that are used at the polling location(s)."

Election Expenses

The town will have about 60 paid poll workers working the election, according to Lannon.

Lannon explained how much the election will cost the town.

"The dual election will run just under $25,000," she said, adding that the costs cover "everything from supplies, paper, programming, poll workers, police detail, signage (and more)."

Lannon continued, saying ballots cost several thousand dollars.

"I always order 100 percent turnout regardless of what I might estimate. I have never run out of ballots and for (the) small cost of printing I would not take the risk of running out," she said. "(The state) cover the costs of printing and programming the machines for the federal ballot only."

Ready to Go

With regard to preparations, Lannon said no issues have cropped up thus far.

"No problems; however, the opportunity to administer a dual election is very interesting and challenging to me professionally," she said, adding that this is the first dual election the town has had. "You must be well organized and prepared well in advance in order for things to go well. I have additionally held poll worker training sessions all week at Town Hall in order to prepare the poll worker and also to explain how the separate voter lists are handled." 

Voter Turnout

The town clerk is hopeful for a strong turnout on election day, but she declined to predict what turnout might be that day.

"I always hesitate to estimate the voter turnout because it can sometimes discourage voters from coming to the polls when a Town Clerk says voter turnout is low and it can also discourage voters when the turnout is quoted to be high," Lannon explained. "Winchester is a community that participates in the electoral process and it is my hope that with the efficiency of the town holding a dual election that folks will participate because it is really easy to make your vote count.

"I am a firm believer that it is our civic duty to participate in the electoral process and to be an informed and educated voter. It is my hope that as the Town Clerk, I, along with my capable staff, make the process painless."

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