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Board of Elections reports record turnout, widespread abuse of staff and plans post‑mortem
Summary
Robin Kaye, chair of the town’s Board of Elections Supervisors, reported 1,666 ballots cast and described a campaign of misinformation and abusive messages directed at election staff; the board plans a post‑mortem and recommended training, process changes and other safeguards.
Robin Kaye, chair of the Board of Election Supervisors, told the Cheverly Town Council on May 10 that the recent municipal election drew unusually high participation and exposed procedural weaknesses and harassment of election volunteers.
“We had 1,666 ballots cast for this election,” Kaye said, listing a breakdown of votes and recounting technical issues and two blank write‑in incidents. She said 1,444 people voted in person, 214 used mail‑in ballots and eight provisional ballots were cast. Kaye added that 932 voters used paper ballots and 734 used electronic machines; 75 of the ballots were cast by voters registered only with the Town of Cheverly, and 38 people registered with the town on election day, 16 of whom were under 18.
Kaye said the board will convene an election post‑mortem to review what happened and implement changes. Among possible short‑term steps she listed were clearer candidate and volunteer briefings, mandatory volunteer training before election day and updates to the supervisors’ handbook. She also raised the potential of having a Cheverly police officer on standby at the polling site in future elections.
“There was misinformation being circulated about our processes, some gross exaggerations about very standard practices, fabrications meant to cast an air of impropriety on us,” Kaye said, describing a wave of abusive messages and social‑media posts that in her view went beyond normal scrutiny and became personal attacks on volunteers and staff.
Council members responded with public thanks and support for the board. Mayor Micha Watson said the town would work to fill a fifth supervisor seat and to arrange a deeper work‑session review of election operations. Council members also urged the town to assess language and accessibility needs — including ASL — and to consider options such as in‑person briefings for candidates.
The board’s next steps include the scheduled post‑mortem meeting and formal recommendations to the mayor and council about items beyond the board’s authority. Kaye said the supervisors will propose changes that are within their control and offer suggestions to town leadership for the rest.
What’s next: the Board of Elections Supervisors will set a public post‑mortem meeting to share findings and recommendations; the council said it expects to appoint a fifth supervisor this summer.
