Town Election April 10: No Vote-By-Mail Option, But Galvin Files Bill

Your Arlington

Last Updated: 22 February 2021

Written by town clerk's office, Bob Sprague

UPDATED, Feb. 21: The state Legislature has not authorized the same vote-by-mail rules communities used in 2020, so Arlington and many neighboring towns will hold a largely traditional election where voters go to the polls.

To counter that, Secretary of State William Galvin has introduced legislation to make mail-in voting permanent, reports Patch, a YourArlington partner. Polling locations will adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Absentee ballots will be mailed to anyone who requests them, but the secretary of state recently informed communities with elections held after March 31 that taking precautions relative to Covid-19 no longer makes voters eligible to vote absentee. His action Feb. 9 aims to change that.

This can change if new legislation is passed and the issue is being discussed at the State House. The town will send a notification if new legislation is passed.

However, as of Feb. 4. the traditional reasons of disability, religious conflict, or absence from town on Election Day apply. For those interested in the steps to vote by absentee ballot, please visit arlingtonma.gov/elections.

The 2021 town election is set for Saturday, April 10, and potential candidates have been taking out nomination papers. Here's the list to date, first for townwide offices from the town website (* = candidate for reelection):

Select Board
(2 seats for 3-year terms)

Jennifer R. Susse (applied 12/16/20, certified 1/25/21)John R. Hurd* (applied 12/16/20, certified 2/1/21)Eric D. Helmuth (applied 12/17/20, certified 1/5/21)

School Committee
(2 seats for 3-year terms)

Jane P. Morgan* (applied 12/17/20, certified 1/7/21)Jeffrey D. Thielman* (applied 12/18/20, certified 1/22/21)

Board of Assessors
(1 seat for 3-year term: Kevin Feeley was reelected in 2018)

Guillermo S. Hamlin (applied 12/18/20, certified 1/26/21)Phillip P. Lohnes (applied 1/8/2021)Kevin P. Feeley* (applied 2/4/21, certified 2/18/21)

Housing Authority
(1 seat for 5-year term)

Nicholas C. Mitropoulos* (applied 1/7/21, certified 2/16/21)Kelda Fontenot (applied 2/19/21)

An additional 1-year remainder term is occupied by a vacancy appointment. On Nov. 30, Fiorella Badilla was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Richard Murray.

Town Meeting member seats on the ballots

Precinct 1 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 2 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 3 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 4 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 5 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 2 yearsPrecinct 6 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 7 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 8 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 9 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 10 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 11 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 12 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 13 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 14 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 15 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 16 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 1 yearPrecinct 17 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 18 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 2 yearsPrecinct 19 – 4 seats for 3 years, 1 seat for 1 yearPrecinct 20 – 4 seats for 3 yearsPrecinct 21 – 4 seats for 3 years

Voter Registration

Look up your voter registration status especially if you recently moved or changed your registration from one community to another. You are only eligible to vote in the community where you are currently registered.

Last day to register for the April 10, 2021 election is March 19, 2021.

There is a detailed explanation of the registration process on the state website.

You can register online through the Secretary of State website if you have a MA drivers license. You can also print the voter registration form and submit it by mail, Town Hall drop box or by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. a scan or photo of the signed form.

Candidates will need to submit a form to the town clerk requesting nomination papers. This differs from past years because Town Hall is closed to the public.

Request for Nomination Papers - Townwide Office

Request for Nomination Papers - Town Meeting Member

The 2021 Election Calendar contains the deadlines for various candidate forms.

YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.