PETERSHAM – Voters at Monday’s Town Meeting approved a change to the date of the Annual Town Election.

The amendment to Article II, Section 1, of the town bylaws moves the election from the first Monday in March to the first Monday in April. Voting hours will remain 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Asked why the change was proposed, Town Clerk Diana Cooley said there were several reasons.

“One reason was the weather. It’s not uncommon to get a good storm in early March,” said Cooley. “More than once, I’ve had to hold an election with a slate of uncontested races in the middle of a blizzard.”

In such an instance, not only does Cooley have to be on-hand, but poll workers must also make their way to Town Hall, where voting traditionally takes place.

The change, Cooley said, will also make things more convenient for potential candidates.

“By moving the election from March to April, I can make nomination papers available in January instead of December, when people tend to be busy with the holidays,” she said.

Finally, Cooley said, Massachusetts holds its presidential primary the second Tuesday in March, meaning the town has to open polls and recruit election workers for two consecutive days.

“That’s not real convenient for me or the people who help out,” she said.

Selectboard Chair Susan Dougherty, who said Cooley had proposed the change, told the Athol Daily News, “There is little impact except for newly-elected selectmen have slightly less time to engage in the budget process. However, for new selectmen that first year usually is watch and learn, so we can live with it.”

On a related matter, Dougherty added that passage of Article 43 remains up in the air, for now. The article called for an amendment to Section 5C of the zoning bylaw which would prohibit “short-term rental of an accessory dwelling unit when the principal dwelling unit is not owner-occupied.”

“There is confusion on how many votes are required to pass – a majority or two-thirds vote,” Dougherty explained. “We may need to mark that unresolved. We’re waiting for legal counsel to weigh in. Seems that ADU regulations have not stabilized yet, which makes bylaw amendments tricky.”

The vote in favor of the article was 70-36, just shy of two-thirds.

New regulations enacted by the commonwealth last year allow accessory dwelling units of 900 square feet to be built by-right in single-family zoning districts. Until passage of the Affordable Homes Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey last August, many towns required homeowners to obtain a special permit from a planning board to construct an ADU.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.