Milton Holds First Election Since Precinct Shakeups

The shuffling of precincts and the changing of polling locations was the afternoon talking point in Milton during the Presidential Primary on Tuesday, March 6.

At the Precinct 3 polls at Cunningham Hall, several voters walked in and asked, “Am I in the right place?” In most cases, they were, as the precinct moved to from .

Glover School, which is no longer a polling location, alerted voters that the polls had been moved with a sign on the door.

The changes are a result of redistricting after the 2010 U.S. Census. Today was the first election to utilize the new 10-precinct map, which the first time Milton hasn’t had 11 precincts since 1990.

The primary change split Precinct 10 into Precincts 3 and 8.

The new plan will also move the polling location of Precinct 2 from  to the and Precinct 3 from the  Glover School to Cunningham Hall.

At the Senior Center, Precinct 2 Warden Ann Clark said there was confusion about the changes there as well.

“A lot of people didn’t know it moved,” she said of the polling location, which was formerly at . The school is no longer a polling location for any precincts.

On Monday, Milton Senior Administrative Clerk Rena McDermott said the Clerk’s Office has spread the word about the changes to all voters.

“We sent out notices to all the people affected,” said McDermott. McDermott added that notices have been made via local media outlets and the Board of Selectmen.

The secondary story on Super Tuesday, while in Milton, was the voter turnout. Just before 3 p.m., 163 voters cast ballots in Precinct 2.

The case was similar for the other precinct at the Council on Aging.

“We’ve had about 20 [voters] per hour since 7 a.m.,” said Precinct 4 Warden Alice Mercer on Tuesday afternoon.

The polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

There will be several other opportunities for Milton voters to get used to the new precincts, as the Presidential Primary is the first of four elections scheduled for 2012. The Milton Town Election is planned for April 24, followed by the State Primary on September 6 and the Presidential Election on November 6.