By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
Citizens across the country and here in Waltham have been casting their ballots in voting ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5, and city officials expect high turnout and smooth operations – despite the turbulence of the campaign season.
Waltham Clerk Joseph Vizard said he expects 80% of the city’s 37,000 registered voters to participate in this year’s election, noting that that rate of participation is on par with the turnout for past presidential elections.
He also said he has faith that Election Day will run smoothly, sharing that 30% of registered Waltham voters have already voted.
“Between vote-by-mail and in-person early voting, we already have about 11,000 ballots back,” he said.
According to Vizard, some 15,000 voters cast their ballots ahead of Election Day in the 2020 presidential election, noting that the social distancing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic drove up the number of both early voting and mail-in votes.
Vizard in an interview with The Times also addressed the issue of Election Day safety, a topic that has been raised by election officials in other parts of the country this year.
He said poll workers here in the city have expressed concerns about safety but explained that that is usually the case when “people are really amped up” about an election.
The Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office also addressed concerns about Election Day security, issuing a press release that stated: “Police officers and constables are always detailed to polling places in Massachusetts on Election Day. The police officer is there to protect election workers and also to assist with enforcement of election laws. We are not aware of any specific threats relating to polling places on Election Day, but both election officials and police officers have undergone training recently on dealing with emergencies, handling threats, and de-escalating issues with voters and observers.”
Vizard said Waltham and its poll workers are prepared for any contentious behaviors. “We talk about how we diffuse situations and when to have the police officer help. So we do have discussions about that. But there’s not any specific thing we are concerned about,” he explained.
Vizard does not expect a significant campaigner presence at the polls but urged any voter who feels harassed by a campaigner to alert a poll worker or someone at City Hall and request assistance.
He also assured city residents that Waltham has enough poll workers. Earlier this year, election officials across the nation had expressed concerns about a shortage of poll workers.
Moreover, Vizard said many of the city’s poll workers served during the presidential primary in March and in the September primary, helping them “get their skills up” in anticipation of a busy Nov. 5 Election Day.
Polling locations will be open across Waltham from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polling locations can be found here or here.