WESTFIELD – Friday, Oct. 30 is the last day to early vote in Westfield. In-person voting in the basement level of Westfield City Hall, 59 Court St., will be open this week through Friday. Oct. 30 from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
City Clerk Karen M. Fanion said 2,000 residents voted in person the first week of Early Voting, from Oct. 17 to Oct 24. “We’re averaging between 200 and 250 per day,” she said, adding, “It’s actually running very smoothly. We’ve had a steady flow all day long.”
All registered voters of Westfield are welcome to cast their vote in early voting. Voters may still participate in Early Voting even if they’ve requested a mail-in ballot as long as the ballot has not been received.
Fanion said they are getting people that had previously requested a mail-in ballot, and then chose to come in and vote early instead.
“They just have to be told if they choose to vote in person, they cannot use their mail-in ballot. If they do use their mail-in ballot, it will be rejected,” she said, adding that of the 10,000 ballots the city has mailed out to residents, they have received 6,000 back through the mail or in the drop box at City Hall.
Fanion said all of the ballots they have received will go to the polls on the day of the election on Nov. 3, and be put in the machines at the polling places.
Mailed-in ballots must be returned to the drop box at City Hall by 8 p.m. on the day of the election on Nov 3 in order to be counted. Ballots sent back through the mail must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 6 in order to be counted.
All of the regular polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the election Nov. 3, except for the Senior Center. Wards 2A and 2B will instead vote at the Westfield Middle School. There is no school on Election Day in Westfield.
Fanion said the city has added extra volunteers for the day of the election, and each polling location is staffed by a police officer, as is standard practice. “We’ve had a lot of people vote already. They’re expecting a rise in the voter turnout,” she said.
Fanion said 76% of residents, 19,300 voters, participated in the 2016 presidential election.
