From the Town Clerk

Hello All – Another month has quickly flown by. I hope you have been enjoying your summer and staying healthy and safe.  As the summer draws to a close, I also hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend! 

Upcoming State Primary – Tuesday, September 6, 2022
The Massachusetts State Primary will be held on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, the day after Labor Day. All four precincts will be open at 7:00 AM at the centralized polling location located - 27 Francis Farm Road – the Francis Farm Community Complex-Museum Building.  Polls will remain open until 8:00 PM.  All voters are reminded that any outstanding Absentee Ballots or Vote By Mail Ballots must be dropped off at the Rehoboth Town Hall drop box by 8:00 PM on Tuesday, 9-6-2022, if not sooner.  As per State Elections Law, NO Absentee or Vote by Mail Ballots are permitted to be dropped off at the polling location; all mailed State Primary Ballots must be either dropped off at the 340 Anawan Street – Town Hall Ballot Box, Town Clerk’s Office or mailed and received by the Clerk’s Office by close of polls on Tuesday, 9-6-2022 at 8:00 PM.   The final voter registration session, to be eligible to participate in this election, was held on Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 8:00 AM. to 5:00 PM. 

Since this is a Primary Election, if you are registered as a Democrat or Republican, you must take that party’s ballot; you will not be offered a choice of ballots.   Unenrolled voters (commonly referred to as "Independents") and members of political designations or minor parties may vote in the party primary of their choice (Democratic or Republican Ballot). Choosing to vote in a particular party's primary does NOT enroll you as a member of that party.  Also, if you choose a ballot, the election inspectors are required, by Massachusetts State Election Laws, to announce the party ballot you chose at the check-in table and the check-out table.  Voter Reminder: once a party ballot is selected by the voter, they cannot change their ballot preference for that election.

To check your party affiliation or to view the candidates on each party’s ballot (Democratic, Republican, Unenrolled or other designation), you may go to:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

I look forward to seeing you all at the polls on Tuesday, September 6^th for the State Primary and again on Tuesday, November 8^th for the State and Gubernatorial Election.  Below are the links to the Secretary of State’s website where you may view the candidates running for the upcoming State Primary.  There are also Sample Ballots in 12-Posting Locations around town where you may also view paper copies of the ballot or on the Town Website @ www.RehobothMA.gov :

State Elections - Democratic Candidates:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele22/state_primary-democratic22.htm

Direct Link to Rehoboth Democratic Party Sample Ballot:

https://www.rehobothma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4911/f/news/9-6-2022-democratic-sampleballot-stateprimary.pdf

State Elections - Republican Candidates:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele22/state_primary-republican22.htm

Direct Link to Rehoboth Republican Party Sample Ballot: 

https://www.rehobothma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4911/f/news/9-6-2022-republican-sampleballot-stateprimary.pdf

Are You an Inactive Voter ?  Have You Returned Your Voter Activation Cards?
The Clerk’s Office was required by law to send out voter inactivation cards to those voters who did not vote in the 2022 elections and did not return the yearly 2022 town census forms mailed in January.  If you are one of those “inactive” voters and you are still living in Rehoboth, you must sign and return the postage paid card you received, to our office, so we may reactivate your voter status.  If you are unsure of your voter status and would like to check, please go to:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

 enter the required information and click the search button.  If your voter status is listed as “inactive”, please contact our office for further direction on the process for reactivating your voter status.  To avoid being put on the voter inactivation list, please return your yearly census forms, which arrive at every household, during the first week of January each year.  Thank you.   

Upcoming Fall Town Meeting – Postponed –  Date to be Determined by Board of Selectmen
In December of 2021, the Board of Selectmen voted to hold a Fall Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, which date appears on the Town’s 2022 Census calendar. However, as of the August 22, 2022 Board of Selectman’s meeting, that Special meeting has been postponed to a date to be determined in the near future.  As a result of the State Legislature voting into law the VOTES Act on June 22, 2022, the new election law now mandates a 2-week In-Person Voting prior to the State Gubernatorial Election. Therefore, the originally scheduled Fall Town Meeting will not be able to be held on November 1^st.  On August 22^nd, the Selectmen decided to poll the department heads and committee chairs to see if there is a need for a Fall Town Meeting in 2022.  If it is determined there is not a need for a Fall Town Meeting, the Board will then decide if a Special Town Meeting will be scheduled prior to the Annual Town Meeting.  More details to come in next month’s Reporter Article ~ thank you.

Attorney General Approved General Bylaw Amendment
On August 22^nd we received the final approval on the May 14, 2022 Bylaw Amendments from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) for Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Articles 22, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32 and 33.  Please look for the updated General Bylaws on the town website sometime after the State Primary Election has been certified.

2022 STREET LISTINGS ARE AVAILABLE
If you would like a copy of the 2022 Street Listings, there is a charge of $15.00.  You may order one online @ https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs; request a copy by mail, drop box outside of Town Hall-340 Anawan Street or visit us at the Clerk’s Office.  If paying by check, please make your check payable to:  The Town of Rehoboth ~ thank you. 

2022 DOG TAGS – NOW PAST DUE
I am pleased we have registered 1,886 dogs so far this year, unfortunately, we still have 428 dogs that remain unlicensed; 200 more than in 2021.  In January we provided every household a copy of the dog license registration form (2022 Census mailer) so they could register their dog prior to the April 1^st annual deadline. We sent dog owners two reminder post cards and two reminder letters, offered dog owners a 60-day grace period prior to assessing the $15 late fee/dog and notified dog owners of the $25 non-criminal citation and certified mail fees in last month’s reminder letter. Please license your dog as soon as possible to avoid further action involving the Animal Control Officer.  The State authorizes all Animal Control Officers to fine delinquent dog owners $50/day until they renew their dog’s yearly licenses.  Please do not let that happen to you.  We understand the past year was difficult for residents to get their dogs vaccinated due to the Town having to cancel their rabies clinics due to the Pandemic; however, we did hold the rabies clinic with Seekonk in March of this year and owners of all unlicensed dog were notified of the rabies clinic by our office.  If you are one of the 280 dog owners (428 unregistered dogs) who received reminder postcards and letters, please register as soon as possible either by mail, stopping by town hall to drop off your payment and valid rabies certificate or by paying online at:

https://permiteyes.us/rehoboth/publichome.php

Please let us know if your dog is ill and can’t receive a rabies shot, has passed away or moved.  We will not know unless you notify the Clerk’s Office 508-252-6502 x-3109, x-3112 or x-3110 ~ thank you.  Unfortunately, if we do not hear from you or receive your dog’s license renewal, we are required by law to charge not only a $15 late fee for each unregistered dog, but file non-criminal citations of $25 plus certified mail charges. Spayed/Neutered dogs are $10 each; not Spayed/Neutered are $20 each.  If you are over 70 years old, registration fees are waived; however, you still must keep your dog’s rabies vaccinations current and register your dog every year.  Thanks so much for renewing your dog’s 2022 license as soon as possible. 

11-8-2022 State/Gubernatorial Election Important Dates
The State Gubernatorial Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 from 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM at Rehoboth’s Centralized Polling Location – 27 Francis Farm Road – Francis Farm Community Complex – Museum Building.  As a registered voter you have several ways to participate in the fall 2022 election: Vote by Mail, Vote In-Person Early or Vote on Election Day. Below please find an outline of important Election deadlines:

In closing, Lynn, Odete, Logan and I wish you all a safe, happy, most enjoyable September.  Good luck to those students, teachers and administrators beginning the 2022-2023 school year. We hope all Rehoboth residents stay healthy and safe.  Please enjoy the beautiful fall weather that should be coming soon.

Thank You ~ Laura