Town Clerk

Mission Statement

The Town Clerk's office is the information center for local residents and citizens at large. It is our goal to provide courteous, competent and efficient service to these customers. The Town Clerk's office is the keeper of all Town records, both vital and historical. We have always and will continue to preserve and maintain these records in an effort to provide Town Officials and residents with requested information in a timely manner for generations to come. Because voting is a fundamental civil right, it is our intention to conduct elections fairly and in compliance with all State and Federal laws, providing the right to vote to every citizen eligible to do so.

Responsibilities

The Grafton Town Clerk:

• Serves the residents of Grafton as the official custodian and record keeper of Town Meeting records and vital records dating from the present back to the early 1800s. This office also performs genealogical research.
• Is the chief election official, recording official, registrar of vital records (births, deaths and marriages), as well as the public records official.
• Issues state licenses and permits, including marriage licenses, business licenses (DBAs) and renewals, dog licenses, fuel storage licenses, raffle/bazaar permits, and requests for public documents.
• Is responsible for all elections, census and voter registration and absentee ballots, preparation of ballots, voting equipment and voter lists, certification of nomination papers and initiative petitions and reports official election results to the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as overseeing the polling place and the conduct of all elections and election-related activity.
• Records and certifies all official actions of the Town including town meeting legislation and appropriations, Planning and Zoning Board decisions and is the keeper of the Town Seal. The Town Clerk also submits bylaws and zoning ordinances to the Attorney General for approval.
• Administers the oaths of office and maintains appointments and resignations of all Town Officials and bears the responsibility to ensure compliance with the State Open Meeting Law and Conflict of Interest Law by posting all public meetings of government entities.
• Responds to inquiries from the public, as well as, from other departments, boards and committees.

Chief Election Official

The Town Clerk is the Chief Election Official and is authorized by state law to administer elections and election-related functions. In addition to the Town Clerk, the Town of Grafton has three Registrars of Voters who are appointed by the Select Board, each serving a three-year term. The Registrars of Voters must always represent each of the two leading political parties. The daily administration of elections processes is managed by the Town Clerk.

The Office of the Town Clerk is essentially the custodian of the past and a link to the future.