Select Board Votes To Reduce Voting Hours For Town Election

BROOKLINE, MA — The Select Board has approved a measure to shorten voting hours for the upcoming town election on June 9, citing concerns of the coronavirus pandemic. In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the board OK’d shortening voting hours by five hours with polls opening at noon rather than 7 a.m. Polls will close at 8 p.m. as usual.

Jeff Nutting, representing the Town Clerk’s office, cited concerns over the health of election workers, telling the board that it is unreasonable to ask workers to wear masks and other personal protection equipment for up to 15 or 16 hours as would be required if the normal election schedule was adhered to. Shortening the election day would also better protect both voters and workers alike, Nutting told board members during Tuesday’s meeting.

“I know this is unusual,” Nutting said of the request to shorten the election day. “But …this is an extremely unusual situation.”

The state’s minimum requirements for an election for polls to open no later than noon and be open for at least four hours, Nutting said. By remaining open until 8 p.m., the town is doubling the minimal requirements, which allows the change in schedule to meet state guidelines.

Nutting said the town is making an “all-out push” for early voting, which he said would cut down on the number of voters who show up in person. The average town election typically draws about 7,300 votes, Nutting said, which if half were cast through early voting, would dramatically lessen the amount of people who show up.

Select Board members Raul Fernandez and Ben Franco voted against the proposal, saying it was not obvious that changing the voting hours was the right approach to take. Fernandez questioned that residents would learn of the change in hours while Franco said that as people have been forced to change their work schedules because of the coronavirus, that he fears that by shortening the election day, the change would make it either difficult or impossible for some voters to turn out.

Nutting said he believes people have more flexibility and between the push for early voting and the adjusted hours, ballots could still be cast. In addition, Nutting said town officials would do walk-throughs at precincts to make sure that social distancing guidelines are followed. He also said the clerk’s office is working with law enforcement and fire officials to deal with long lines that could result with the shortened voting day.

Nutting already fears that the coronavirus may impact poll workers’ willingness to work the election and said there is not enough time to recruit and train others who may be willing to step up and help with the election process.

Fernandez and Franco both held firm.

I’m just really not willing at this point to make any more changes to our election process, especially any kind of changes that may inadvertently disenfranchise certain folks,” he said.

The board had earlier voted to push the annual election back from May 5 to June 9 because of the pandemic and recently also adjusted the polling places where residents can vote. Nutting said the town has already received about 300 absentee ballots and said town officials will continue to push for voters to vote early.

Ultimately, Nutting said, the measure to shorten the election day makes the health and safety of voters and poll workers the top priority.

“To reject this proposal, it would send a bad message to the poll workers,” Select Board Chair Bernard Greene said. “We’re trying to make it easier for them. This is a terrible situation that we’re asking them to step into. ... They are really stepping up in a big way.”