Registered voters in South Berwick have until Oct. 31 to request an absentee ballot for the Nov. 5 general and referendum election.
Voters may apply for a ballot either in person at the Town Clerk’s office until 6 p.m. Oct. 31, or electronically until 5 p.m. that day at the state website, maine.gov.
Absentee ballots should be returned to the clerk’s office or the secure drop box near the rear of Town Hall as soon as possible for early processing, which begins Nov. 1, according to Town Clerk Tyanne Giambusso.
No absentee ballots should be returned to the polling place on Nov. 5, Giambusso said.
Unregistered residents can register electronically at maine.gov by the end of the day on Oct. 15, or in person at the town clerk’s office up to, and including, Election Day.
Registered voters can update their residency information or change their party enrollment electronically at maine.gov.
In-person voting in South Berwick will be held this year for the first time at the Central School gymnasium across the street from Town Hall, and voting hours have been expanded to 7 a.m.- 8 p.m.
“There will be tighter security and more election workers helping make the process as smooth as possible this year,” Giambusso told the South Berwick Journal, the Town Hall newsletter. All election workers will be clearly identifiable, wearing orange vests labeled “Staff” on the back and with the town seal on the front, she said.
The ballot this year includes federal, state and local contests: President and Vice President, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, state Senate and House of Representatives; as well as local races for Town Council, MSAD35 Board of Directors, Judge of Probate, Registrar of Probate and York County Treasurer.
A local referendum question asking South Berwick voters to approve or reject a proposed $7.4 million renovation of the Town Hall is also on the ballot, along with five state referendum questions.
Sample ballots will be posted in the Town Clerk’s office and on the town website this week, said Giambusso.
