Municipalities are required to produce yearly publications. Every town issues an annual report, an annual town meeting warrant, a local election warrant.
How about a “nosy book?”
That’s the familiar name for the List of Residents, technically a product of the Board of Registrars but assembled and coordinated by the office of the town clerk.
The book is a comprehensive list of all registered voters, grouped first by street and then alphabetically. Each name is accompanied by an address, occupation, year of birth, and party registration (or unenrolled).
‘It’s useful for a lot of different things,” said Town Clerk Bridget Rodrigue. She said it’s especially popular among town departments. For example, first responders keep the book in their cars so they know immediately the occupants of their destinations.
Rodrigue said she hasn’t seen much demand from residents, although some have expressed interest in learning who their neighbors are.
A glance through the listings of occupations indicates that people are playing it straight. Rodrigue said that if anyone chooses to exaggerate or fabricate an occupation, state officials have advised town clerks to let it go. “We’re not detectives,” she laughed.
Listings in the book emanate directly from the annual town census, which is conducted by mail shortly after Jan. 1. The nosy book is “a snapshot of the current census year,” Rodrigue said.
Those who don’t respond to the census are targeted for a second mailing, the town clerk said. “We do a really good job trying to contact everybody.” However, there is no penalty for failing to participate.
She emphasized that if a name is not in the directory – that is, if the census form was not completed – it nevertheless remains on the list of registered voters. However, that necessitates an extra step, because those names end up on an “inactive” list.
When an “inactive” voter shows up to cast a ballot, he or she first must complete and sign a “form of continuous residence.” There are hundreds of “inactives” on the current voter list, Rodrigue said, even after scores were processed in the November 2020 election.
She said the post office sends new forwarding addresses to Town Hall-up to one year after a move-giving staff destinations to send confirmation forms. And Rodrigue said she can delete a voter from the list after two federal elections have passed without confirmation of residence.
Rodrigue said there are other ways the voter list can be updated, such as certification of signatures on nominating petitions.
The town clerk’s office will remove a name from the list if a voter signs a form confirming a move out of town, or if notified by the secretary of state’s office that a voter has registered elsewhere in Massachusetts. The state manages a statewide registration master list that Rodrigue said has been in place for more than 20 years, tracking voter and residential information.
“Massachusetts has great procedures,” Assistant Town Clerk Ashley Cote commented. Rodrigue added, “It’s very difficult to commit voter fraud,” praising the secretary of state’s elections division.
The clerk’s office used to contract with a vendor to process the census information and produce the nosy book. Rodrigue decided to self-publish, which she said provides more time to include late arrivals besides saving the town money.
The Board of Registrars is cited on the cover of the nosy book, as it has oversight of the voter rolls. There are three registrars, and both parties must be represented. James Martin and William Speciale are the Republicans. Rodrigue, an ex-officio member of the board, is also the Democrat listed to comply with the requirement, as the Democratic Town Committee had a vacancy at the time of printing. There is now a candidate to fill that, pending Select Board approval.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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