By Carol Britton Meyer

After a Plymouth Superior Court judge ruled last week that all votes cast in the May 15 town election will count – including the 80 or so cast between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. – and granted approval for a limited reopening of the polls, Town Clerk Lori West announced on Tuesday that the polls will reopen for two hours on June 13 to accommodate voters who could not get to them due to a blocked road on Election Day. Any voter who did not cast a ballot on that date can also vote on June 13.

Voting will occur between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the approximate time of the detour around the May 15 fire on Q Street that prevented some voters from getting to the high school polls.

“I have established the polling hours to be relatively consistent with the timeframe in which the fire appeared to have impacted access to the polls,” West said in a May 30 statement. “All three precincts will vote at the Hull High School polling location. We will operate the re-opened polling hours the way we regularly run all town elections and in compliance with state election laws.”

West also noted that the reopening of the polls requires coordination between various town departments.

“Since this series of events has been so public, and we are all looking to finalize this election, I have prioritized the need to set a date to reopen the polls as quickly as possible,” West said. “…This will allow the town to finalize the election while providing appropriate notice to voters who may wish to cast a ballot at the re-opened polls.”

Absentee ballots may be requested by those voters who meet the eligibility requirements and who have not already cast a vote in the annual town election, according to West.

“We are still using the voters’ list from the annual town election,” she said. “We have clear records of voters who have already cast their vote and those who are eligible to vote during the reopened polling hours.”

In a letter to candidates, West said that access to the list of registered voters who had not yet cast a vote would not be granted to candidates looking to campaign between now and June 13.

“After consultation with town and special counsel, and with the state Elections Division, this is to inform you that this document is not subject to disclosure at this time,” West wrote. “Where we are ‘mid-election,’ the list is not a public record at this time. Of course, the voting list will be available upon the conclusion of the election upon request.”

TO READ THE FULL RULING, CLICK HERE.

The results of absentee and early ballots that arrived at the polling location before 8 p.m. as well as the approximately 80 votes that were cast during the extended voting hours on May 15 are not yet available.

These results, along with the outcome of the June 13 limited-hours election, could affect the earlier outcome, especially the close Hull Redevelopment Authority race between Patrick Finn and Daniel Kernan, with 1,075 and 1,060 votes respectively.

In the three-way race for two school committee seats, Fay Ferency had 911 votes, with 940 write-ins, although it’s unclear how many of those votes went to Regan Yakubian, who ran a sticker campaign, or whether she earned enough of those votes to win the seat. Incumbent Ernest Minelli was the top vote-getter, winning 1,032 votes to Colby Mahoney’s 589 votes.

Until the election results have been certified following the June 13 limited-hours election, incumbent officials have been “held over” in office until new members can be legally seated.

On May 24, the select board met to continue the search for a new town manager with two members present who were on the board prior to the May 15 election but who would no longer be serving if the results were certified – Domenico Sestito and Donna Pursel. It’s not yet known whether the election will mean that the town manager finalists interviews set for June 7 will be rescheduled.

“Once all the details are known about how quickly the board can reorganize, a decision will be made,” select board Chair Donna Pursel told The Hull Times.

West and town attorneys appeared before Judge Brian S. Glenny on Friday, May 26 to seek clarification of an earlier decision that denied the extended voting hours on Election Day. Glenny also had said that the court believed the results were “not valid” and that the “only just remedy” would be an entirely new election, but he did not order the town to start from scratch.

“We reiterated our position that the town, through the town clerk, and following consultation with and approval of the state Elections Division director, had offered voters extra time to come to the polls to enfranchise as many voters as possible,” West explained in an email to candidates.

“We emphasized further that those who voted during the town-sanctioned extended voting hours, like all of the people who voted during regular voting hours, cast their ballots in good faith and reliance on the town, and me as the town clerk, to run an election consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth,” West said.

West said she and other town officials were pleased that Glenny decided that all ballots cast on Election Day should be counted.

“Despite the time and effort it has taken to get to this point, we are proud that we reacted quickly to protect the interests of all the voters of our good town,” West said. “This effort is not, and was never, about a particular candidate, or about winning or losing an election. Instead, it was about ensuring the rights of all of the town’s voters to participate in our democratic process.”

In addition to allowing all the votes cast on May 15 to count, Glenny also ordered the town to re-open the polls for a two-hour period so that any voters who were unable to get to the polls because of the fire will now be able to vote.

West expressed appreciation to candidates, citizens, and others for their patience as town officials work toward finalizing the results of the annual town election.

“In closing, we are pleased that Judge Glenny has affirmed our election night decision to enfranchise voters,” West said at that time. “Although challenged by circumstances beyond our control, we feel confident that the town’s efforts to protect the rights of all town voters to participate in the 2023 annual town election were successful.”

Christopher Haraden contributed to this report.

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