By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer

(July 21, 2022) During a Board of Elections meeting last week, Berlin Town Administrator Mary Bohlen walked her volunteer staff through the ins and outs of candidate registration and election day for the town council elections this fall.

Volunteers were residents Tony and Linda Bowen, Betty Justin and Gina Velong.

Velong will serve as the board’s chair, a position that Bohlen said would likely not be too demanding, but could see itself settling unlikely but not impossible issues.

“On election day you’ll float between the two polling places as needed and sign off on the results at the end of the night,” Bohlen said while adding any other responsibilities would be to resolve deadlocked issues.

At the end of the meeting, Bohlen said that the board itself has a vacancy and encouraged the members to suggest anyone who may be interested.

“We can do it with four (members) but it’s obviously not ideal,” she said.

Polling places this year are Buckingham Presbyterian Church on Main Street and the Berlin Police Department on Route 113.

The board will also be advertising for election day workers in August to notify citizens of two major deadlines — Sept. 2 for voter registration and candidate filing and Sept. 27 for write-in candidate filing, withdrawal of candidacy and absentee applications by mail. The former date is also the first day of accepting absentee voting applications.

Further, Sept. 29 is the deadline for mailing absentee ballots and Sept. 30 is the deadline for in-person absentee application submittal.

Election day is Oct. 4 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.