Acton Town Clerk reviews election workload, vital records and digitization goals

Town Clerk Leo Mercado presented the Town Clerk budget and operations, reporting that the department administered large election cycles in the past year, is transitioning to a new statewide vital records system, and is working to consolidate records and make more services available online.

What clerk reported

Mercado said the clerk's office manages vital records (births, deaths, marriages), voter registration and town meeting coordination, and processes business certificates and dog licenses. The municipal census (2024 municipal census reported with an 87% return) showed total residents of about 21,236 and 16,357 registered voters at the time of the workshop; the clerk said follow-up mailings will aim to increase the census return rate.

Online services and records

The clerk said DBAs (doing-business-as filings) are now 100% online and that the office will work to move more filings and services online and to consolidate physical records storage at an identified facility (18 Windsor Ave) to improve security and access.

Elections and staffing

The clerk's office ran multiple large elections in 2024, coordinated a special town meeting three weeks after a presidential election and reported that volunteer poll workers and poll management were critical to successful administration. The clerk emphasized ongoing training for an upcoming statewide vital records system roll-out and noted the need for continued volunteer and poll-worker recruitment.

Ending

Mercado asked boards to note the clerk budget pages and signaled staff follow-up to questions about turnout metrics and storage consolidation.