WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Voters in Lanesborough and Williamstown will need to write in candidates' names in the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee race on Nov. 3. 

 

Six residents qualified to be on the ballot for four positions on the seven-person committee that are at stake in the biennial election. 

 

But none of those six names will appear on the ballots voters take into the polling booth. 

 

"Due to a series of clerical and technological issues, ballots for Mount Greylock Regional School District's School Committee for each of Lanesborough and Williamstown will have blank spaces instead of names," current School Committee Chair Julia Bowen wrote Tuesday in an email to local media.

 

Instead of simply filling in an oval next to the candidate of their choice, voters will need to mark that oval *and* write in their preferred candidates' names and addresses on each line next to the marked ovals.

 

As always, voters in both the school district's member towns vote for candidates for all School Committee positions.

 

In the current election cycle, two seats designated for Williamstown residents and two seats designated for Lanesborough residents are on the ballot. 

 

Each voter, regardless of their town of residence, can vote for up to two candidates from among three people running for the Lanesborough seats and up to two candidates from among the three vying for the two Williamstown seats. 

 

"Writing the name and address of the Lanesborough candidates for the Lanesborough seats, and Williamstown candidates for Williamstown seats, is important," said Bowen, who was elected to her four-year term in 2024. "In addition, voters should completely fill in the oval next to the line with a blue or black pen. Spelling mistakes in a candidate's name or address will not affect vote counting as long as the vote counters can interpret the voter's intent."

 

The six candidates who returned signed nomination papers in time to appear on the ballot are:

 

Lanesborough:

Williamstown:

Williamstown Town Clerk Nicole Beverly on Tuesday confirmed the blank ballots and said she advised the candidates not to supply voters with pre-printed labels to attach to the ballot because those labels can jam the vote tabulation machines. 

 

Likewise, Beverly said town clerks cannot post lists of candidates inside the voting booth because any such posting — even to inform voters of who should be on the ballot — would violate the same state law that restricts campaigning within 150 feet of the polling booth. 

 

Reached for comment on Tuesday, Bowen explained that the secretary of state's instructions on submitting candidates for the ballot did not reach the district office because of the use of an incorrect email address. Superintendent Joseph Bergeron attempted to contact the Secretary of State Galvin's office before the deadline for submitting the names but was unsuccessful, Bowen said. 

 

By the time he was able to connect with the officials in Boston, the deadline had passed. The district asked state Sen. Paul Mark to intervene in efforts to get an extension. But the secretary of state's office held firm to the deadline, Bowen said. 

 

All of this means voters should allow more time and expend more effort to vote in the local election — either during early voting, by mail or on Election Day. 

 

And on election night, the six candidates will need to exercise a little more patience to get results. Beverly confirmed that she cannot start counting ballots — including write-ins — until after the polls close on Nov. 3. 

 

"We're going to be there for a while," Beverly said.