The Committee to Elect Cathy Harder-Bernier

Bill Cass, Chairman,

Daniel Bernier, Treasurer

Joe DeFerrari, Website Adminstrator

143 Maplewood Drive
Hanover, MA  02339

Email: cathyhb@comcast.net

Or use our contact form.

As Town Clerk, I like to connect with my fellow Hanoverians as much as possible. Check out our News page to see the latest.

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Professional Elections – Service to Residents

• Ran 1 election between March 2021 – March 2022: May Annual Town Election 2021
• Significant COVID-19 protocols - such as social distancing and mask wearing. Great cooperation with Emergency Management team!
• Vote by Mail was allowed for fourth time for the 2021 Annual Town Election for people taking precautions due to COVID-19. (Previously allowed for the 3 elections in 2020).
• In-Person Early Voting was optional for local elections in 2021 and would have been at the town’s expense, so we chose to not hold these hours. Additionally, it would have been next to impossible to hold it the same week as Town Meeting.

Election staffing needs, voting tabulators and poll pads

• Hiring 4 Election Assistants this spring/summer to make sure elections in 2022 run smoothly
• Need to constantly train new employees takes away from other work
• Legislature is debating permanent Vote by Mail
• If it passes, we should purchase another tabulator (we rented one in 2020) in order to process all of the early ballots

Long-term impacts on Town Clerk’s Office services since 2018 reduction in FTE’s

• Reduction in customer service, office closures, appointments necessary
• Campaign finance reports and kennel licenses not followed up on in 2020 or 2021
• Unregistered dogs not followed up on 2020 – 2022
• Unable to fully launch use of Board and Commission database that was begun in 2018 when fully staffed
• Some work performed by Senior Tax Work-Off employees (business certificate database, pole books, etc.)
• Document preservation project on hold since early 2020
• Need to hire and train elections staff this spring

Vital record request volume increasing back toward 2018-2019 levels

Marriage intentions – creeping back to pre-pandemic level

Business Certificates – volume not back yet

Election scrutiny impact on public records requests – 25% increase over 2018

Dog licenses – 50%+ increase since 2015

Registered voters – back to 2018-2019 pre-pandemic levels

Need to return to 2018 staffing levels is clear

• Volume is re-approaching or exceeding 2018 levels
• Use ARPA funds
• Just like some new programs that are being developed in town with ARPA funds
• Other town-side departments are adding staff with ARPA funds (library staff, DPW gardeners, Veteran’s agent assistant, Veteran’s behavioral health clinician)