Absentee Ballots Available For Northeast Metro Special Election

WOBURN, MA — Absentee ballots are now available for Woburn's Jan. 25 special election on funding a new Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School.

"To be eligible to vote by absentee ballot, the voter must be out of the city during the hours the polls are open, have a physical inability to get to the polls, or have a religious belief that prohibits the voter from voting on election day," City Clerk Lindsay Higgins said in an announcement.

Written absentee ballot applications must be mailed in by Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. or filed in person at City Hall by Jan. 24 at noon. Voters can also cast absentee ballots in the City Clerk's Office.

You can download the application here.

To be eligible to vote by absentee ballot, the voter must be out of the city during the hours the polls are open, have a physical inability to get to the polls, or have a religious belief that prohibits the voter from voting on election day. For information, including a request form to download, go to For information on the Special Election, including specimen ballot, please go to Election Information.

The special election will be held districtwide across the 12 Northeast Metro Tech communities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 25. All Woburn polling locations will be held at the Old Wyman School.

District officials from the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School are seeking money to build a $317 million school at 100 Hemlock Road in Wakefield. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is pitching in up to $140.8 million toward the overall cost.

Each community will be responsible for paying off the school's debt based on anticipated student enrollment. Woburn would be responsible for $15.7 million in borrowing, based on its share of the school's enrollment. That would mean $900,000 per year in debt service over 30 years.

Woburn officials approved the project, but officials in Saugus and Chelsea voted against authorizing the payment, triggering the special election.

The one-question sample ballot is available here. To learn more, visit the city clerk's website or call the office at (781) 897-5850.

The deadline to register was Jan. 5.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.