HAWLEY — There are no contests in this year’s town election, which will be held Monday, June 1, from 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Town Office, 8 Pudding Hollow Road.
According to a notice from Town Clerk Pamela Shrimpton, the election may be held outside to allow for better social distancing. Additionally, face coverings will be required and there will be fewer poll workers than usual.
“If we need to hold the election inside due to inclement weather, precautions will be in place, including limiting the number of people in the building at one time and requesting that voters wear masks,” Shrimpton wrote in the notice.
To minimize the number of residents at the Town Office on election day, Shrimpton is encouraging voting by absentee ballot.
“The state has informed us that the COVID-19 pandemic is enough reason for any resident to request an absentee ballot,” Shrimpton wrote.
According to the website of Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, a new law was passed clarifying that anyone who is staying at home and avoiding a polling location as a precautionary measure in response to COVID-19 can qualify for an absentee ballot.
To receive an absentee ballot, residents must first fill out an application, which is available at bit.ly/3g15Uxe, by calling 413-339-4091 or by emailing townclerk@townofhawley.com. Applications can be mailed to the Town Office, 8 Pudding Hollow Road, Hawley, MA 01339 or placed in the building’s dropbox.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Friday, May 29, at 5 p.m.
Once voters have received an absentee ballot, they must complete it and return it by mail or by placing it in the dropbox in the envelope provided. Completed absentee ballots are due on June 1 by the time polls close at 7 p.m.
All candidates on the ballot are incumbents running unopposed for re-election.
Incumbent Robert Root has submitted nomination papers for the Selectboard/Board of Health position, with a three-year term.
According to Shrimpton, those incumbents wishing to continue in the following positions did not complete nomination papers and will run write-in campaigns. They are:
■Town clerk, three-year term — incumbent Pamela Shrimpton
■Auditor, one-year term — incumbent Carla Clark
■Assessor, three-year term — incumbent Rick Kean
■Hawlemont Regional School District School Committee, three-year term — incumbent (previously appointed) Robert Root
■Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee, three-year term — incumbent (previously appointed) Scott Purinton
■Moderator, one-year term — incumbent Kirby “Lark” Thwing