The Northborough Select Board voted unanimously Monday to hold all town elections after May 2025 at the Northborough Senior Center.

The board acted after a sustained discussion of parking, accessibility and concerns raised by older residents and parents about using Milliken Middle School as a polling place. The board’s motion directs town staff to implement the change beginning with elections held after May 2025 and to notify voters about the new location in advance.

Town staff said the state’s recent polling-place inspection found the senior center meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements but identified parking as a potential concern. Select Board members said the town’s police department will provide additional staffing and traffic control during elections at Milliken through May, and that moving the polling place for future elections gives the town time to rehearse procedures and publicize the new location to voters.

The board’s action followed multiple public comments and outreach with stakeholder groups. Fran Baxtrin, representing the Council on Aging, urged the board not to make the change for the May 13, 2025 election because of the short lead time; the board instead voted to keep May’s election at Milliken and to transition to the senior center beginning after May.

The Select Board also discussed steps to encourage alternatives to in-person voting to reduce stress on any polling site, including promoting mail-in ballots and early voting. The board asked the town clerk’s office to lead voter-notification efforts once logistics are finalized.

Practical next steps include scheduling the senior center for election-day use, confirming additional traffic and public-safety staffing with the police chief, finalizing signage and voter communications, and producing an outreach calendar so voters know where to cast ballots starting after May 2025.