Plainville Select Board Opts Out of No-Excuse Vote by Mail for Third Year

PLAINVILLE -- January 29, 2026, Plainville Select Board votes unanimously to skip no-excuse vote by mail for a third straight year. Town Clerk Ms. Clark told the board Thursday that offering no-excuse vote-by-mail ballots costs more than one dollar per ballot to mail, requires follow-up mailings when voters omit signatures, and places a significant burden on her office staff, whose postage budget is already exhausted for the fiscal year. Clark noted that the State Auditor's Division of Local Mandates now allows municipalities to submit vote-by-mail costs for certification, but cautioned that certification "does not guarantee reimbursement." The board, agreeing that "the dollars are dollars we don't really have," moved immediately to opt out under the VOTES Act, which permits local bodies to decline the mandate annually. Traditional absentee voting remains available to residents who are out of town during polling hours, have a disability, or cite a religious observance.