Board discusses in‑person absentee pickup and staggered deadlines to avoid postal delays

Susan Cordell recommended splitting the absentee application process into two tracks: a mail‑in schedule with a five‑week deadline to allow packet production and postal transit, and an in‑person pickup schedule with a two‑week deadline that avoids postal delays. This allows the town to produce and verify packets while giving voters a higher chance of timely return when they collect in person. "We don't have to deal with US Postal Service" for in‑person absentee voting, she said, and recommended allowing packet pickup as early as two weeks before election day.

Participants noted administrative details that must accompany any schedule change, including how the town office would handle voter verification and packet production, and whether code provisions govern review cadence prior to election day. The transcript does not record formal adoption; staff were asked to reconcile the proposed timeframes with code and charter requirements and prepare formal language for the commissioners.