Peabody Election Praised; Mail-In Ballots Could Be 'Here To Stay'

PEABODY, MA — Peabody City Clerk Allyson Danforth said she believes "mail-in ballots are here to stay" after what many considered a smooth election cycle despite a contentious presidential campaign and a pandemic.

Massachusetts allowed no-excuse, mail-in ballots for the first time in 2020 due to the coronavirus health crisis with many saying that the combination of mail-in voting, voter drop boxes, early voting for 14 days prior to Election Day allowed for lesser crowds and a hassle-free process on Tuesday.

"I think mail-in ballots are here to stay in the state election cycle," Danforth told Patch on Wednesday. "With this new process of mail-in and two weeks of early in-person voting I will be interested to see the final price tag for cities and towns. Hopefully, the state will continue to pick up the cost of the mail-in process."

Danforth said the turnout percentage of 75 percent was comparable to the 75 percent the city saw in 2016.

While some worried about nightmare scenarios amid voting in a pandemic, voters told Patch that things went smoothly in Peabody on Tuesday.

"I voted in Tewksbury but my boyfriend voted in Peabody," said one reader, who said she voted for President Donald Trump. "Went extremely well. They checked and scanned his ID, asked for address, same in Tewksbury. Both went smoothly."

Another voter at Peabody High said he was "very pleased" with the process.

"Voted this early (morning) at the Peabody High School," he said. "Brief wait. Very well-organized with evident precautions to protect everyone.

"Very pleased and impressed with the folks managing things."

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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