SHELBURNE — The Selectboard will host a public hearing to consider whether the town should opt out of offering early mail-in ballots for the May 20 town election.

Under the proposal, early in-person voting will still be available and absentee ballots will be given to voters who request them. However, mailed postcards informing voters of their options will not be sent.

The request to opt out of early mail-in voting came to the Selectboard this week from Town Clerk Joe Judd, who said the spring election is just a local election, and without any federal or state races, not many voters will attend. With fewer voters likely to participate, Judd wishes to “alleviate the cost” by not offering early mail-in voting.

Judd noted there are 1,563 registered voters in Shelburne and it costs $1.01 for every mail-in ballot sent. At last May’s town election, Shelburne saw 164 of its 1,479 registered voters participate.

If the proposal is approved, voters would still be able to mail in absentee ballots if they are physically unable to go to the polls, as absentee voting is considered to be different from mail-in voting. 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.

According to Judd, the town is required by the state to offer mail-in ballots for state and federal elections, but for local races, the town can opt out.

“We don’t want to negate anybody’s right to vote, but it comes to a point where maybe this election is one where we want to save money and not do early mail-in voting,” he said.

He added that if people are unable to visit the polls on May 20, there would be early voting hours, or they could request an absentee ballot.

“If someone requested an absentee ballot I would send them one,” Judd assured the Selectboard.

Board member Andrew Baker wondered if the mailed ballots serve as a reminder of what seats on town boards and committees are available. Judd mentioned the Selectboard could also use the funds saved by opting out of distributing mail-in ballots to instead send notices to residents earlier in the year, before the ballots are finalized, to let them know which terms are expiring and will be up for election.

Selectboard members seemed in favor of opting out, with Chair Rick LaPierre saying he didn’t have a problem with it, but before voting, Judd informed them they would need to have a public hearing to allow residents to voice any comments or concerns.

The public hearing will be held during the Feb. 10 Selectboard meeting, which will start at 5:30 p.m. and be held over Zoom.

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