Stoughton Select Board moves all town voting to O'Donnell Middle School starting September

STOUGHTON -- May 26, 2026, Stoughton Select Board votes to consolidate all town election precincts at a single location beginning with the September 1 state primary. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to designate the Robert G. O'Donnell Middle School gymnasium at 211 Cushing Street as the sole polling place for all precincts, a change made possible by a voter-approved charter amendment that replaced a per-precinct presence requirement with a per-precinct availability standard. Town Manager John Coulter, presenting on behalf of absent Town Clerk Reggie Kowalsakowski, said the Secretary of State's office reviewed the gymnasium's layout and dispatched auditors to verify ADA compliance, with minor entrance modifications completed before the vote. Member Steve Cavey cited years of security concerns about holding elections in occupied school buildings; member Lori Jugs asked for a formal parking plan before September, noting that the lot at O'Donnell is tight. In a separate 5-0 vote, the board adopted a roughly 140-page financial policy manual, Stoughton's first formal written framework for budgeting and fiscal controls, drafted by former Finance Director Biz, former Finance Committee Chair John Anzovino, and Finance Director Heidi Checkrin, with proposed amendments from the Finance Committee and School Committee pending Town Counsel review by an August 31 target date.