Braintree Voting Locations Reduced From 11 To 3

BRAINTREE, MA — In a contested 5-4 vote, the Braintree Town Council approved temporarily combining the town's 12 voter precincts into three for the remainder of 2020.

Under the plan, voters in Districts 1 and 2 will vote at Braintree High School, District 3 and 4 at the East Middle School and District 5 and 6 residents will cast their ballot at the South Middle School. In past elections, every precinct had its own independent voting location except for precincts 5A and 1A, which both voted at Town Hall.

The change will be in effect for the Sept. 1 state primary, the Sept. 26 special election and the general election on Nov. 3.

Town Clerk Jim Casey said he recommended the changes because of uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The plan was drafted to simplify social distancing, protect poll workers and make sure there is enough personal protective equipment. It would also save about $50,000 in election costs, Casey said.

Casey also emphasized that the change will be temporary. He said properly disinfecting 11 polling locations on election day amid the coronavirus pandemic might not be possible.

"I cannot guarantee I can do that," Casey told the council at its Wednesday meeting.

The plan was endorsed by the Town Council's ways and means committee.

Committee Chair Meredith Boericke in a statement said she supported the plan because it "protects the fundamental right of citizens to vote, while simultaneously ensuring the health of our poll workers who, almost uniformly, fall into the high-risk category for Covid-19."

"Even with fewer polling locations, based on the Town Clerk's experience and estimations, the entire duration of the voting experience should take no more than 15 minutes – car door to car door," Boericke said.

Councilors that voted for the change included Shannon Hume, Lawrence Mackin Jr., Boericke, Julia Flaherty and Charles Ryan. In opposition were David Ringius, Donna Connors, Steven O'Brien and Steven Sciascia.

Connors, who originally supported the proposal with her ways and means vote, chose not to support the measure because she preferred a modified version O'Brien proposed. O'Brien's proposal would have reduced polling locations to six instead of three.

"I felt six polling locations was a better option for residents than three," Connors said in a statement on her Facebook page. "This is the reason for the change in my vote from a yes at Ways and Means to a no vote at the Town Council meeting."

But Casey said some polling places are not large enough to accommodate two precincts.

This article originally appeared on the Braintree Patch