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Registration, Early Voting Deadlines Set for State Primary

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The last day to register to vote or to change voting affiliation for the Sept. 1 Massachusetts state primary is Saturday, Aug. 22. 
 
The offices of town and city clerks will be open limited hours on Saturday, most from 2 to 4 and 7 to 8, for citizens to register to vote; contact your town clerk for times and locations. You can also register online or check whether you are registered to vote through the secretary of state's office. The deadline to register online is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. You may also check with your local boards of register through your town or city clerk to determine if you are registered. 
 
Citizens may also vote by mail, by absentee ballot or by early voting. Ballots are currently available during business hours of each town or city clerk. Early voting in person begins on Aug. 22 and ends on Aug. 28. Find out the hours and locations in your community here.
 
All applications for an mail-in ballot must be made in writing no later than Wednesday, Aug. 26. An application can be downloaded here
 
It is important to request a mail-in ballot as soon as possible, as the clerk must mail the ballot to the voter. The application also includes a request for a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3 general election and this must be received by Oct. 28. 
 
Voters may request a mail-in ballot and then deliver it directly to their town or city clerk or drop it in a locked box that should be available at their town or city hall. 
 
Note that once a voter has cast an early voting ballot, that voter may no longer vote at the polls on Election Day.
 
Some of the towns and cities that sent us voting information include: 
 
The town of Adams is holding voter registration Saturday, Aug. 22, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 8 p.m. at Town Hall. Early voting hours will be Saturday from noon to 4, Sunday from 9 to 1, and Monday through Thursday from 9 to 4. 
 
The town of Clarksburg is offering early voting beginning on Aug. 22, at the Senior Center. The times and dates for early voting are as follows: 
  • Saturday, Aug. 22, 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday, Aug. 23, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Monday, Aug. 24, 11 to 4
The town of Cheshire will hold voter registration for the Sept. 1 primary and the annual town meeting on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Knock on the Church Street entrance door to be admitted to Town Hall. Early voting for the primary will be held from 2 to 4 on Saturday and 1 to 3 on Sunday, and from 9 to 5 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
 
The city of Pittsfield is also offering early voting in person at City Hall during regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 2 to 7 and Sunday, Aug. 23, 8 to 1. 
 
The city of North Adams will hold voter registration at City Hall from noon to 4 and 6 to 8 on Saturday, Aug. 22. Early voting will be held from noon to 4 on Saturday and 9 to 1 on Sunday, Aug. 23, and from 9 to 4 Monday through Thursday and from 9 to noon on Friday, Aug. 28.
 
In the town of Williamstown, the town clerk's office will be open by appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and additionally 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. Residents are encouraged to contact the office at 413-458-3500, Ext. 101, or via email at npedercini@williamstownma.gov to schedule an appointment.
 
The in-person early voting hours are as follows: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2 to 4 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23, 10 to noon; Monday-Friday, Aug. 24-28, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
 
Polls will be open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find out where your polling place is here.
 
Please do not forget to vote. 
 

Tags: election,   voting,   


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Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.
 
More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.
 
Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.
 
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 
 
"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."
 
Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.
 
Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC. 
 
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