BERNARDSTON — The Selectboard voted last week to opt out of early mail-in voting for the annual town election this spring, though Town Clerk Christina Slocum-Wysk will offer at least three days of early in-person voting.

The unanimous vote of the Selectboard followed a recommendation from members of the Board of Registrars who argued that mail-in ballots do not make sense financially for town elections that typically see fewer voters cast their ballots than in contested state or federal elections.

“The Board of Registrars agreed that the cost per ballot mailed to all those who requested all elections this year on the vote-by-mail application, and the additional hours required for personnel, will place a financial burden on the town clerk’s budget,” said Selectboard member Brian Hervieux.

Slocum-Wysk said registered voters who are unable to physically make it to the polls can still request an absentee ballot and she will send them one. Opting out of early mail-in voting simply means the ballots will not be automatically sent to all residents who selected mail-in ballots when registering to vote.

“If anybody out there needs to vote absentee, they can contact me,” Slocum-Wysk clarified. “If they still need to vote absentee, they certainly can do that.”

According to the U.S. General Services Administration, absentee voting is when voters apply for and must be granted an excused absence from voting in person, whereas mail-in voting is when ballots are automatically mailed to every registered voter.

Slocum-Wysk added that she has not yet determined when the early in-person voting hours will be, and there may be more than three days. Once the hours are set, they will be announced on the town website.

The annual town election will be held Monday, May 5. Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

At least 17 positions will be on the ballot, including one assessor, one Board of Health member, one constable, four Cushman Library trustees, four Powers Institute trustees, two Recreation Commission members, one Selectboard member, tax collector, tree warden and one Warner Fund trustee.

The annual town caucus, which determines who will be on the ballot, will be held Tuesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Nomination papers and absentee ballot applications are available at the Town Clerk’s Office.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.