Early Voting is Big Hit in Winthrop

For the first time every community in Massachusetts has been offering early voting as a way to accommodate people’s daily schedule, and reduce lines at the polls on Nov. 8.

In Winthrop, Town Clerk Carla Vitale said over 2,000 voters have taken advantage of early voting. On the first day voters were in line at 8 a.m. Monday, 300 people voted early and volunteers were putting in eight hour days. Last Thursday the volunteers had taken 628 voters for early voting.

“We have been getting increasingly higher numbers of early voters each day,” Vitale said. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of people we need to help process the voters. We need a dedicated space and more help.”

She plans on making a pitch to the town council for funding for future early voting dates.

In Revere there were 2,011 voters as of Tuesday morning. Election Commissioner Diane Colella said they had 400 voters win five hours on Saturday. Another 400 each showed up on Friday and Monday too. With over 27,000 eligible voters for the Nov. 8 election it looks like early voting is popular.

Early voting allowed cities and town to open voting for the general election from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4 during specified hours.

On the ballot is the big presidential election, of course, as well as four statewide ballot initiatives that could lift the number of possible state-licensed charter schools, legalize recreational marijuana and more.

“No long lines and I’m ready to vote,” said one voter.