Bedford VOTES Saturday, March 14 ~ EVERYTHING You’ll Need to Know

Bedford’s annual Town Election will take place as scheduled on Saturday, March 14 in the gymnasium at the John Glenn Middle School, 97 McMahon Road.

The Bedford Citizen began posting articles about the upcoming Town Election several months ago. For your convenience as you prepare to vote, read along to see links to everything that has been posted.

ELECTION 2020 and COVID-19: The polls will open at 8 am and remain open until 6 pm.  Interim Town Clerk Rosemary Harvell said on Friday morning that plans are in place to offer a well-organized experience.

Click this link to see the new poll layout for Saturday’s election

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The most recent message from Town Officials spoke of the election: Town Facilities Department staff will be on-site at John Glenn Middle School to provide hourly cleaning, public safety officials will ensure no more than fifty people are in the gymnasium at one time, and a new space layout and social distancing will be implemented for voters while standing in line, voting, etc. Election officials will be provided with personal protective equipment (gloves, sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes). Voting machines and booths will be cleaned, as will voting booths, throughout the day.

BALLOT QUESTIONS ~ AN URGENT REMINDER: In order to become part of Bedford’s Town Charter, the bylaw votes taken at Special Town Meeting in November need to be approved on tomorrow’s ballot before they can go to the Attorney General for final implementation. Don’t forget them on Saturday’s ballot! The most interesting of them will change the Selectmen to the Select Board, if that question passes.

SUPPORT FOR VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES: An AutoMARK Voter Assist Terminal will be available at the polls to make independent voting possible for voters with disabilities through its use of assistive technology to mark an optical scan ballot.


Covering Bedford’s 2020 election season from start to finish

ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION Late in 2019, The Citizen ran two stories encouraging participation in the Town Election, Invest in Bedford and Why I Ran for Town Office and the Experience of Serving, with comments from Selectman Margot Fleischman, School Committee member JoAnn Santiago, Planning Board members Shawn Hanegan and Amy Lloyd, and Library Trustee Elizabeth Hacala.

CANDIDATE ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bedford’s 2020 election season kicked off late last year with candidate announcements by Rebecca Green Neale, assessor; Mark Siegenthaler, selectman; Bopha Malone, selectman; Ed Pierce, selectman; Dan Brosgol, school committee; Ann Kiessling, board of health; Sarah Scoville, school committee, and Brad Morrison, school committee.

TOWN CAUCUS: The first step in Bedford’s election process, Town Caucus, took place on January 7. Caucus nominees are automatically placed on the ballot, and indeed this year no one turned in nomination papers.

BALLOT POSITION:  Chosen by lottery on February 10, it set the candidates’ position on the ballot.

CANDIDATE PAGES: Each candidate has a page on The Citizen’s website to make it easier for voters to access information.

Select Board – 3-year term, vote for 2

Board of Assessors – 3-year term, vote for 1

Board of Health – 3-year term, vote for 2

Planning Board – 3-year term, vote for 2

Library Trustee – 3-year term, vote for 2

School Committee – 3-year term, vote for 2

School Committee – 2-year term, vote for 1

School Committee – 1-year term, vote for 1

ELECTION EVENTS: The League of Women Voters of Bedford hosted a well-attended candidate forum that is available on Bedford TV’s YouTube channel.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters to the Editor in support of various candidates were clustered in two groups, one appeared on March 7 and the other on March 13

2020 VOTERS GUIDE: In collaboration with the Scharfman Fund of the League of Women Voters, The Bedford Cultural Council, and the Friends of the Council on Aging, The Bedford Citizen published a Voters Guide that was mailed to every Bedford residence. Click this link to read the Voters Guide.

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