Election Information
**Results of the November 2, 2010 State Election**
Important Notice from Town Clerk: At its meeting on January 25, 2010, the Board of Selectmen voted to locate all polling locations in Town to the gymasium at the Oliver Ames High School at 100 Lothrop Street. This vote is effective until further notice.
Please review Tips for Voters.
Town of Easton Election Calendar 2012
2012 Town Election Available Positions
The Town Clerk is authorized by state law and to administer elections and elections-related processes and functions. There also are three Registrars of Voters who are appointed by the Board of Selectmen, each serving a three-year term. The Registrars of Voters always must represent each of the two leading political parties. The daily administration of elections processes is managed by the Town Clerk.
General Election Duties
The Easton Town Clerk administers nomination and election processes, registers voters, conducts the annual municipal census and certifies applications and documents for veterans' bonuses. The Town Clerk also verifies residences for state colleges and universities, travel certificates and social security administration. The Town Clerk prepares and provides all statistics on elections and census, and general assistance for citizens, political parties and members of the press.
Elections Administration
The Easton Town Clerk conducts all presidential primaries, state primaries, and state and presidential elections. The Town Clerk also conducts Town general elections. The responsibilities of the Town Clerk include: voter registration; supplying nomination papers for candidates, initiatives and referenda; certification of signatures on all nomination papers and petitions; printing ballots for Town elections; maintenance of elections equipment; recruitment of poll workers; tallying elections results; and maintaining and preserving the records of the election.
List of Voters
The Town Clerk maintains the voters roll for Easton. The Town Clerk endeavors to maintain as accurate a list as possible for use at the polls on election day. Each year, 600+ of voters are removed from the voters list because of death or a move outside of the Town, and 1,800+ of new voters are added to the list. In addition, 800+ voters change party affiliation each year.
Voter Registration
Voter registration in Easton has never been easier than it is today. You may visit the Town Clerk's Office in Easton Town Hall and complete a voter registration form in person. Or, you may obtain a mail-in voter registration form from the Town Clerk's Office, the Ames Free Library (Easton's Public Library and branch), United States Post Offices and various other locations throughout the state. Mail-in forms also may be obtained by calling the State Elections Division at (800) 462-VOTE. In addition, the state registries of motor vehicles, social service agencies and military recruitment offices provide voter registration services. Any person who is a Massachusetts resident, a United States citizen and will be eighteen years old as of the next election is eligible to register to vote. You do not need a drivers license or any other form of identification to register. However, when you sign the registration form, you must attest, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you are legally eligible to register and that the information you provide is accurate and truthful. The penalty for fraudulent registration increased recently to a fine of ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to five years, or both. When you register, you may choose to become a member of a political party, select a designation for a political organization which has not achieved party status in the state or choose to become an "unenrolled" voter (commonly referred to as "independent"). Remember that if you register in a party or select a political organization designation, in a primary election you only may receive a ballot for that party. Unenrolled voters may request any ballot in a primary election. You will remain on the list of voters so long as you vote regularly and complete and return the annual municipal census. If you move to another city or town, you must re-register in your new community.
Registration Deadlines
Be aware that there are voter registration deadlines. You must register to vote at least twenty days before any Town or State election or the Presidential Primary.
The Annual Municipal Census
The Town Clerk conducts the annual census of Easton's 6,404 households and publishes the results in a printed residents' lists (commonly known as the "Street List"). The publication contains an alphabetical-numerical list of all residents seventeen and older. The Town Clerk also prepares a non-public list of persons age three and older for the School Department.