NO x 5278 = NO

As with last  year's override vote, it was another squeaker. Unofficial vote totals announced by Town Clerk Nancy Danello not long after the polls closed at 8 pm were 5,093 YES votes vs 5,278 NO votes, a difference of just 185 votes. 

A large group of YES supporters, including Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Superintendent Lucas Giguere, looked crestfallen after the announcement.

Polls were busy, with a line forming at 5:45 a.m. and with the lot at Franklin High School still packed with cars in the minutes before voting ended. Most of the precincts were closely divided, in one case, Precinct 9, there was only a five vote margin separating the two sides The outlier was Precinct 7, which scored a difference of 158 votes between the Yes and the No columns.

Now, the town will face the consequences of the vote, with a Town Council agenda for Wednesday evening featuring the FY26 Town Council Annual Operating Budget Hearing - Continued from May 22, 2025.