A Marblehead Voting Tradition Ends

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will end on June 15 a Marblehead tradition that has continued for more than 250 years.

Voters in the town's Precinct 1 will not vote at the probably the oldest voting place in the country according to selectmen.

Built in 1727, the Old Town House, which has been on the National Register of Historic Place since 1976, was the scene of fiery debates in the 18th Century over the issue of independence.

On Wednesday night, it was the subject of an acrimonious debate among Selectmen as they grappled with the prospect of moving the Precinct 1 voting place out of the Old Town House and to the Community Center at 10 Humphrey Street.

The issue is wheelchair accessibility. Town Clerk Robin Michaud told the Board of Selectmen that the state conducted a location survey on May 13 and found that the Old Town House "is not compliant with the regulations governing accessibility of polling places." The letter was signed by Bridget Simmons with the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

The state also found that the voting place for Precincts 2, 3 and 4 also have violations, but those violations can be corrected for the special election on June 15.  The violations at the Star of the Sea Community Center on Atlantic Avenue will have to be addressed for future elections, the town clerk said.

Michaud proposed that all seven voting precincts be moved to the community center, but the board rejected that proposal.

Board Chairman James Nye said he was concerned that it would cause traffic problems if all voters were assigned to vote at the community center.

"The state is being so unfair," Selectman Judith Jacobi said.

She was joined by Selectman William Woodfin, who launched a fiery tirade, accusing the state of granting waivers for such problems for "politically connected" towns and cities, but not for Marblehead.

"I appreciate what the state is trying to do, but I will not abandon the oldest continuous voting place in the country without a fight," Woodfin said. He said the state is not using "common sense."

He proposed that the town seek a waiver from the state for the June 15th special election and if necessary seek a court-ordered stay against the state.  The board, after discussing what might be done in the short time frame before the special election, voted four to one to move the Precinct voting place to the community center. All of the Selectmen made it clear they voted to move the voting place very reluctantly.

The state sent the letter on May 19, notifying the town of the violations. That gave the town only 17 days to fix the problem. The town clerk is required to notify the Precinct 1 voters 10 days in advance of the election that the polling place has changed.

Michaud told the board that if the town did not move the voting place, the state could invalidate the election, and there could be fines from the state and lawsuits might be filed against the town. Nye said he did not want to subject the town to a law suit over this issue.

Woodfin became so incensed by the state's action that he felt the need to apologize to Selectman Jackie Belf-Becker at the end of the Wednesday night session. During the debate, Belf-Becker had suggested that Woodfin's proposal might prevent some handicapped residents from voting.  She noted that the board earlier had honored a prominent handicapped resident, Lloyd Caswell, for his service to the community.

Woodfin, who said he has been a lifelong friend of Caswell, told the board her comments were insulting. He said he has always supported the rights of all Marblehead voters.

In his apology, Woodfin said he has been suffering some medical issues that make him tired. "I am tired tonight," he said.  Belf-Becker readily accepted his apology, saying it is the tradition of the board to "agree to disagree."

The issue of wheelchair accessibility at the Old Town House has come up before. Woodfin said plans to install an elevator for $160,000 were voted down previously. "I would support installing an elevator," he said.

As a result of the action, voters in Precincts 1, 5, 6 and 7 will vote on June 15 at the Community Center. Residents in Precincts 2, 3 and 4 will continue to vote at the Star of the Sea Community Center.