Please, tell everyone to vote in the Nov. 3 election. If they aren’t registered, urge them to go to Town Hall and register. I was a member of the Registrars of Voters and had an epiphany while I was writing postcards to encourage voters in other states to vote, when I realized only 35% of Belmont’s 19,372 registered voters bothered to vote in the Sept. 1 state primary, This despite the fact that we make voting extremely easy in Belmont: we have early in-person voting, mail-in, and election day voting. And the lines at the polls are always short. Nevertheless, many Belmont voters failed to try to vote, a few voters mailed their ballots after Sept. 1 and their ballots were not counted. Some people did not sign their envelope that contained their ballot, and their ballot could not be counted.
The final result of a districtwide recount of the race for state senator was ultimately decided by 34 votes, proof that every vote counts!
- Tell everyone to try to vote early—in person or by mail. If requesting a vote-by-mail ballot, they must know ballots are not forwardable so they must include the correct mailing address where they will be.
- If they are voting by mail, tell them to follow the directions: mark their ballot correctly, remember to sign the envelope, and mail their ballot immediately.
- Tell people to feel free to deposit their mail-in ballots in the secure green Town Clerk drop box at the base of the steps to Town Hall.
- Tell people who prefer to vote in-person, to vote early in-person at Town Hall during the early voting period Oct. 17 to Oct. 30.
- And, for those who want to vote on Election Day, Nov. 3, tell them polls close promptly at 8 p.m.
Robert E. McGaw, Louise Road
