By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — Early Voting will be an option in the Proposition 2 1/2 override special election scheduled for Tuesday, June 18.
The option to provide Early Voting was decided unanimously on May 16 by the Board of Registrars, Town Clerk Susan Duplin told the Select Board Monday night when she was seeking the board’s endorsement to call for the in-person Early Voting option. The location will be Room 14 at Town Hall, 235 North St., on the following dates and times:
- Sat, June 8: 9AM to 5PM
- Mon, June 10: 8AM to 4PM
- Tue, June 11: 8AM to 8PM
- Wed, June 12: 8AM to 4PM
- Thu, June 13: 8AM to 8PM
- Fri, June 14: 8AM to 1PM
The polls will also be open on Tuesday, June 18 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Theresa’s Parish Hall on Winter Street. Voters who requested mailed ballots for all elections will receive a ballot in the mail or they may apply for one. Those who need to vote absentee due to being absent from town or religious reasons on Election Day may apply for an absentee ballot and vote at the counter in the Town Clerk’s office up until noon on Monday, June 17, the date before the special election, per state law.
A Proposition 2 1/2 general override vote for $10M phased in over three years (FY25, 26 and 27) is one of two budget options presented side by side in this year’s warrant for voters to consider at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, June 10. The other choice is a non-override budget.
A two-step process in necessary for a Proposition 2 1/2 override to pass – passage at Town Meeting and passage at the ballot box. The options can be presented to the voters in either order.
The Select Board previously chose June 18 for the override vote because state law requires the Town Clerk be notified at least 35 days in advance of an election and also requires that the town have a balanced budget passed before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Offering voters a non-override budget option on June 10 ensures that requirement would be met if the override vote fails.
