Southampton town clerk reports turnout, explains spoiled-ballot and mail‑in rules after May election

Lucy Dolan, Southampton’s town clerk, told the Select Board on May 26 that the town recorded 2,267 total ballots in last week’s election: “2,174 put into the machine and 93 hand counted,” she said.

Dolan explained how the town handles spoiled ballots and urged voters to fill in ovals — not X’s or small dots — because the tabulation machine is sensitive. “When a voter says ‘I messed up,’ we write ‘spoiled’ on the ballot and keep it; spoiled ballots do not leave the building and are not counted,” she said.

Dolan also outlined next registration and mail‑in deadlines. She said the state will mail vote‑by‑mail application cards in mid‑July for the September and November elections. For local special town meetings, she warned that voters must be registered by the town’s cutoff (noted later: June 10 for the June 20 special town meeting). She listed the state primary on September 1 and the state election on November 3, noting early voting windows and the deadlines to register or apply for mail‑in ballots.

On close contests and recounts, Dolan said Question 1A won by 169 votes and Question 1B failed by 80 votes, and explained the recount process: a petition is required, the Board of Registrars is involved, a police officer must be paid, and counters must be hired. “Recounts cost money, a lot of money,” she said, and residents should contact the town clerk’s office with questions.

The clerk closed by urging residents with election questions to visit or call the clerk’s office rather than relying on social media for official information.