News Flash

The Annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Polling hours are from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. 

Voters will elect one Moderator for a one-year term, one Select Board member for a three-year term, one School Committee member for a three-year term, one member of the Housing Authority for a five-year term, and two Trustees of the Punchard Free School for three-year terms.

Precincts 1 and 3, which have in past elections voted at the Senior Center, will vote at the Youth Center on Whittier Court. This change in polling location is due to the renovation project underway at the Senior Center.  Precincts 4, 5 and 6 will vote at the Wood Hill Middle School. Precincts 2, 7 (including sub-precinct 7A), 8 and 9 will vote at the Andover High School Field House on Shawsheen Road.

Residents can search their precinct by visiting: www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/

Voters can check their voter registration status on the Secretary of State’s web site at www.sec.state.ma.us or by calling the Town Clerk’s Office at (978) 623-8230.

In response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Town is taking a number of steps to protect the safety of our voters and election officers. These steps include the following:

1. Voters and election officers who are sick or concerned that that they may have contracted the virus should not appear at a polling place on election day. Voters who are unable to vote in person due to self-quarantine will be allowed to vote absentee.

Absentee ballots are available at the Town Clerk’s Office. The last day and hour to apply for an absentee ballot is 12:00pm on Monday, March 23^rd. To be counted, absentee ballots must be received by the Town Clerk’s Office at 8:00pm on Tuesday, March 24^th. Voters interested in voting absentee can call the Town Clerk’s Office at (978) 623-8230 or visit https://andoverma.gov/349/Absentee-Voting.

2. On election day, voters are encouraged to vote at off-peak times (i.e., between the morning rush, lunchtime, and the evening rush).

3. When completing a ballot, voters will be allowed to use their own blue and black pens and markers. Further, voters will be provided with disposable writing utensils available to each individual voter.

4. The Town will provide hand sanitizer to voters and election officers.

5. Election officers will be supplied with latex gloves.

6. The voting booths, check-in/out tables, and ballot boxes will be regularly cleaned throughout election day.

7. At all polling locations, the voting booths will be spaced-out to provide a less dense precinct arrangement.