Wellesley Coronavirus: Tuesday's Local Election Postponed

WELLESLEY, MA — Wellesley's Tuesday election has been postponed amid growing concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.

In a statement sent Monday afternoon, city officials said the election will be rescheduled to a future date prior to June 30. A date has not been chosen as of Monday afternoon. If the court decides at a later date that further postponement is necessary, the election could be held during the first two months of the 2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The decision to postpone the election was made in an effort to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus. According to officials, it's intended to:

• Protect the health and safety of Wellesley residents and poll workers
• Allow all residents — especially high-risk individuals — the chance to vote
• Ensure the town clerk has sufficient staff to complete the election process

Current election materials — including printed ballots — will be used for the rescheduled election, and ballots printed at the time of the election will be identical, officials said. Absentee ballots will also be counted on the rescheduled election date.

Elected officials whose terms were scheduled to end March 17 will remain in their respective positions until the election is held and their replacements are sworn in, the statement said.

Those who had not registered to vote in time for the March 17 election will still be able to register up to 10 days prior to the new election date. Further, the new election date and a sample ballot will be posted on the Town of Wellesley's website 20 days before the election.

In a statement sent Monday afternoon, the Town of Wellesley said the decision to postpone was handed down as an emergency court order from the Norfolk County Superior Court. The order was requested Sunday evening after the Board of Registrars voted 2 to 1 in an emergency meeting to request the Town Counsel postpone the election.