Hundreds in Tri-Town turn out to vote early
Oct 19, 2020
Tri-Town residents can vote early at Mattapoisett Town Hall, Rochester Senior Center, and the Marion Town House. Photos by: Aidan Pollard
The Rochester Senior Center is set up with voting booths.
Stickers are given to voters at the senior center.
Residents from the Tri-Town turned up in droves to the Marion Town House, Mattapoisett Town Hall and Rochester Senior Center over the first weekend of early voting in Massachusetts.
Town clerks saw a steady stream of over 200 residents on Oct. 17, the first day of in-person early voting for the Nov. 3 general election.
“I’m more mature and I felt it was easier to get done now,” Marion voter Jeanne Lake said.
She said that both her daughter and granddaughter also voted early for the election.
In the Town Clerk’s office, Marion had a stack of dozens of ballots cast on the first morning of early voting.
And voters in Marion were given a piece of paper detailing how early voters can track their ballots on the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website.
Mattapoisett had a busy first day of early voting, gathering 125 ballots between 2 and 8 p.m.
Town Clerk Catherine Hueberger said that many voters who requested mail-in ballots came in-person to vote on the first day of early voting.
“It couldn’t wait,” Mattapoisett voter Peter Martin said. “I felt like I needed to get it done as quickly as possible.”
Martin said he was pleased to see how many voters came out early and followed social distancing guidelines.
“For a small little town, I think that’s pretty impressive,” he said.
He said that early participation in Mattapoisett could be an indication of how the election goes nationwide.
“Maybe people are stirred up enough that they’ll finally take some action,” he said.
Rochester had a strong first weekend of voting too, with 68 ballots cast on Saturday and dozens more cast on Sunday.
“I just wanted to make sure I got it in on time,” Rochester voter Sheila Botelho said.
She said she chose voting early in-person to make sure her ballot was secure, and didn’t have to go through the mail.
“I wanted to put it in myself,” Botelho said.
Early voting will last through Oct. 30 in Mattapoisett, Oct. 29 in Rochester, and Oct. 25 in Marion.
Tri-Town voters can also drop their mail-in ballots in the election boxes at the Marion Town House, Mattapoisett Town Hall, and Rochester Town Hall.
More information about how to vote early in the Tri-Town can be found here.
More information about Tri-Town ballot boxes can be found here.
