Dalton Mail-In Ballot Instructions Had Date Error
DALTON, Mass. — Town voters started receiving mail-in ballots yesterday for the upcoming special election but were surprised to find an error.
The ballots had printed instructions to have them returned to the town by Nov. 5, 2024, information left behind from the general election in November.
The special election to decide who will fill the vacant Select Board seat will occur on Feb. 3.
In December, the board also approved mail-in ballots.
Select Board member Marc Strout took to his Select Board Facebook page to inform constituents of the error and provide an update.
He explained that Chair Robert Bishop, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson, and Town Clerk Heather Hunt had been notified, and the situation had been referred to the town attorney.
"It is the Town Clerk, which is an elected position, responsibility to make sure all information is correct so that we can have a proper election ... I will advise when I have more information. I am extremely frustrated at this developing situation," he wrote on the page.
As soon she found out about the situation on Saturday, Hunt and her assistant Patty Mele-Nichols went to the Town Hall to rectify the situation.
Hunt and Mele-Nichols are sending letters with the correct information and posting the memo all over town, including the Senior Center, library, Town Hall, and on the town website. Additionally, they are working to call everyone affected.
At the time, the clerk's office had only had 28 requests for mail-in ballots.
"It was a very small, honest mistake that happened in my office. I definitely take full responsibility for that," Hunt said.
She explained how the office has several boxes of "very generic" mail-in ballot instructions provided by the state informing voters how to fill out the ballot and send it back.
Due to the high volume of mail-in ballots sent out for the November election, the date for mailing the ballot was included in the instructions, which is not always the case.
"It was an innocent mistake on our part. And how or why that happened, I would say we've been on pretty overwhelmed mode for the past couple of months. We haven't gotten a break," she said.
She demonstrated that the special election would be the fourth election that has taken place in the last year. There was one in March, September, and November.
"I'm deeply saddened that our elected selectman, Mark Strout, didn't find it in him to pick up the phone and call me [about the mistake,]" Hunt said.
"Instead, he took to Facebook, which his page is widely known throughout the town as being the town's Facebook page, even though it's not, and I guess, emailed all kinds of people, and this morning, this just blew up into something that this should have never happened."
Hunt explained that Strout sent an email to her and several other town officials about the error at 10 p.m. on Friday night.
However, Hunt noted that she does not have access to her work email remotely, so she only learned about the error on Saturday morning when she received a call from Hutcheson.
Both Mele-Nichols and Hunt are volunteering their time on a Saturday to rectify the error.
"I have purchased 28 first-class stamps that these letters will be sent out on that I have no intentions of asking for reimbursement from the town," Hunt said.
"So any expense that's incurred due to this minor error is being covered by myself and my office, so that nothing at all falls on the taxpayer as it should not."
On Strout’s Facebook post, Town Assistant Alyssa Maschino took to the comments to point out that the error was only in the instructions and expressed her frustration with how this notification was worded. Her comment received seven likes at the time of this article's publication.
"Our WONDERFUL Town Clerk, who bends over backwards for this town, is heading into Town Hall now to make this right. When workers get overwhelmed, errors get made," she wrote.
Former Select Board member Joe Diver responded by saying the mistake was critical and that "any candidate could contest the election. It is unfortunate that this mistake occurred."
Hunt said she is not an elections attorney, but based on her prior experience believes it should not affect the election because the ballot did not have the error, rather the instructions did.
"We are feeling very confident that we're going to get the corrected information out to them as quickly as possible and I wish this really could have been handled in a more professional manner," Hunt said.
Hunt also plans to contact the state election attorney to confirm her belief that this error would not effect the election but is waiting because the town attorney has already been contacted about the situation.
"I have, in the meantime, requested a meeting with the Select Board and myself at their soon as convenience, so we can talk about this like grown-ups face to face, and stop all this social media communication and hopefully get to the bottom of it and uphold the integrity that the town clerk's office has always stood for," Hunt said.
The clerk's office still has applications trickling in, and Hunt emphasized that the instructions will be correct for future deliveries.
Mail-in ballot applications are still being accepted until Jan. 27. Voters should complete the ballot as soon as possible once they have been delivered. However, ballots received by 7 p.m. on Feb.3 will be counted.
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