Danvers 2020 Election Experience: 'Smooth,' 'Very Organized'

DANVERS, MA — A spring and summer of concerns about what a presidential election might look like amid a pandemic turned into a relatively painless experience for many in Danvers this season.

After Danvers Town Clerk Catherine Ellsworth told Patch last week that more than 50 percent of residents voted early through mail-in, drop box and early voting, leaving poll traffic relatively light on Tuesday despite a near-record turnout statewide.

"Got to the high school about 7:30 a.m. and was home by 8 a.m.," said one Patch reader. "While uneventful with only about a five-minute wait at the check-in table, it was the first time I can recall waiting at all, so (there was a) noticeable difference. Seeing how about 50 percent of Danvers had voted early, I was a little surprised. But good to see."

Ellsworth told Patch that the Danvers Department of Public Works set up a one-way voting path for early voting and plans were in place to keep voters safe and organized on Election Day itself amid the coronavirus crisis.

"Very organized — lots of parking," a reader told Patch. "Very orderly. In and out in under 10 minutes."

"Parking lot busy," another said, "but voting area at the field was virtually empty. Got in and out with no lines or waiting about 1:30 p.m."

"Smooth!" another reader said.

As much of the country fell asleep still awaiting results in major races — including president — residents here were only waiting on one big question that could change the way they vote in future elections.

Supporters of Question 2, a ranked-choice ballot initiative, conceded well after midnight, saying they came up short. The "No" side was up 55 percent to 45 percent with 81 percent of precincts reporting.

Outside Question 2, there wasn't much suspense despite unprecedented voter turnout in an election set against the backdrop of a pandemic.

The state was called for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden immediately after the polls closed. Biden was up nearly 1 million votes on President Trump with most precincts reporting. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey won his race soon after.

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