Canton petitioners ask legislature to let town move local elections to November

Residents and officials from Canton urged the Joint Committee on Election Law to report favorably on Senate Bill 2605, a home rule petition to move Canton’s local elections from April to November.

Jennifer Wexler, a 12‑year Canton resident, told the committee the petition grew from grassroots interest and argued the change would increase participation in local government. Wexler said petitioners collected 2,369 signatures—well above the 10% threshold required to place a nonbinding referendum on the ballot—and that the referendum passed locally by roughly a three‑to‑one margin.

Susan Harrington, a member of Canton’s select board who spoke as a private citizen, said she discussed the proposal with more than 2,000 voters during her campaign and that the ballot question passed locally with 67% support. Harrington and other witnesses said turnout for April local elections is low—commonly cited at about 17–24%—whereas turnout in November for state and federal contests typically ranges from about 60–80%. They argued that moving local contests to November would let newly elected officials participate in all annual town meetings and allow candidates and volunteers to campaign in more favorable weather months.

Lisa Lopez, a longtime Canton resident and former select board member, said aligning local elections with November would make retail campaigning more practical and help newer residents—many of whom are unfamiliar with an April election cycle—engage when voters already expect elections in November. Jeffrey Sullivan, testifying remotely as a poll worker and civic volunteer, told the committee Canton voters are prepared to manage higher turnout.

Committee members asked about implementation logistics, including ballot length and poll‑worker capacity. Witnesses said Canton’s town clerk had earlier expressed concern about recruiting poll workers but later indicated she would organize if the law changes. The petitioners said that, in even‑year November elections, local candidates and ballot questions would simply be added to the existing state ballot pages; depending on the number of statewide questions in a year, the local ballot may occupy multiple pages but remain a single ballot.

Ending note: Petitioners asked the Legislature to advance S 2605 as a home rule petition so Canton voters’ locally approved change can be implemented.