CHESTERFIELD — The office of Secretary of the Commonwealth says it has seen no unusual problems with mail ballots arriving on time, but town clerks in Chesterfield and Williamsburg are urging caution anyway.
Clerks in the two towns plan to issue notices advising residents to consider hand-delivering their ballots to town offices rather than mailing them. They fear the U.S. Postal Service may not deliver them in time to be counted in the Nov. 3 election.
Chesterfield Town Clerk Sandy Wickland cited a couple of instances of ballots arriving late during the Sept. 1 primary election, despite being postmarked on time. Two arrived days late, and another arrived three weeks after the election.
Wickland said she does not believe politics played a role in the delays, but that mail has simply been slow at times.
But Williamsburg Town Clerk Brenda Lessard thinks there may be connections between the post office, a federal service, and the Trump administration’s plans to gut mail-in ballots. However, there is no substantiated proof of this.
“I think desperate people do desperate things, and I’m just nervous about that a little bit,” Lessard said.
Williamsburg has decorated its ballot drop box, located outside the back door of town offices, and added an American flag.
Galvin’s office said late delivery has not been a widespread problem.
“Nothing unusual, nothing widespread,” said Debra O’Malley, Galvin’s spokeswoman, when asked about late ballots.
O’Malley said postmarking can take a day or two longer in rural areas than in larger communities. She also noted that, unlike in the September primary, ballots in the November general election can be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within three days.
Clerks in Easthampton and Worthington said they do not plan to issue similar notices.
Mail balloting has long been a favorite target for President Donald Trump, who has claimed that it breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and his own use of the voting method.
Using mail ballots has become increasingly popular with voters of both parties, with about 30% of all ballots cast that way during the 2024 presidential election, according to federal data. The process also is secure. A 2025 Brookings Institution study found only about four cases of fraud out of every 10 million mail ballots cast.
