City Council - Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee Hearing on Dockets #0183 and #1805

• Committee Chair Ruthzee Louijeune called the hearing to order at 10:07 AM, outlining that Docket #0183 was co-sponsored by herself and Councilor Enrique Pepén (referred January 28, 2026) and Docket #1805 was co-sponsored by herself and Council President Liz Breadon (referred September 23, 2026).
• Chair Louijeune entered into the record an official letter of absence from co-sponsor Councilor Enrique Pepén, who noted his ongoing focus on resolving past ballot printing errors, poll worker technology training, and voter support.
• Councilor Edward Flynn delivered brief opening remarks supporting Question 4 while underscoring that the Boston Election Department remained under state oversight following the 2024 ballot shortage issues, before departing early for a childcare-related engagement in Jamaica Plain.

A panel of voting rights advocates presented testimony regarding election operations, voter accessibility, and ballot questions:

• Brooke Simone, Staff Attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights:

  • Detailed the nonpartisan Election Protection volunteer poll observer program and the 866-OUR-VOTE legal support hotline.
  • Emphasized that armed federal officials (such as ICE, DOJ, or FBI) stationed near polling locations is strictly illegal and chills voter participation, particularly among naturalized citizens and mixed-status families.
  • Urged the City to promote mail-in and early voting, train poll workers on legal procedures regarding federal agents, coordinate with state and legal advocates, and proactively communicate voter rights.

• Celia Canavan, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts:

  • Highlighted the organization's involvement as a lead plaintiff in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, protecting mail-in voting access and safeguarding voter data privacy.
  • Endorsed Question 4, noting 23 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted Election Day registration (EDR) with no evidence of fraud or increased administrative burdens, pointing out the measure includes a delayed implementation date of 2028.
  • Cited legislative efforts to decouple voter registration from the annual municipal street listing/census (House Bill 799 / Senate Bill 503, sponsored by Rep. Arriaga and Sen. Cynthia Creem), noting the current system disproportionately marks renters and low-income residents as inactive voters.

• Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director of MassVOTE and Chair of the Yes on 4 Committee:

  • Outlined MassVOTE's grassroots voter outreach, phone banking, community forums, and distribution of voter education bookmarks detailing the nine statewide ballot questions.
  • Argued that voter education alone cannot fix arbitrary registration cutoffs, and emphasized that EDR replaces cumbersome post-election provisional ballot verification by enabling eligible residents to present proof of residency and register at the polls.

• Tracy Griffith, Racial Justice Program Director at the ACLU of Massachusetts:

  • Reported recurring accessibility and signage barriers observed during the September 2026 primary across Boston precincts in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.
  • Noted severe ADA compliance failures, including faded parking spaces at the Orchard Park Community Center, locked accessible entrances forcing voters up steep steps without railings at the Codman Square Health Center Great Hall, and school staff parking completely occupying accessible parking at the Higginson Lewis K-8 school during a professional development day.
  • Urged the City to install clear directional signage starting at least 100 feet away from polling entrances and use durable, weather-resistant materials.

• Rahsaan Hall, President & CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (via recorded video):

  • Provided historical context on state oversight of the Boston Elections Department following the 2024 general election delays and ballot shortages.
  • Expressed concern over Department of Justice federal election monitors deployed during the primary and urged the City to reinforce contingency planning, equipment reliability, and language access.
  • Expressed full support for Question 4 and Docket #1805 to strengthen voter participation.

• Council President Liz Breadon inquired about the impact of the municipal census on inactive voter lists, best practices observed in neighboring states like New Hampshire, and strategies for recruiting younger poll workers. Advocates suggested offering resume assistance, community service credits, and partnering directly with higher education institutions.
• Councilor Benjamin Weber raised discussion on compulsory voting models, proposing Election Day as a public holiday, and inquired about pending state legislation to audit polling places for ADA compliance. Canavan affirmed that the Election Modernization Coalition has pursued regular polling audit legislation.
• Councilor Julia Mejia emphasized literacy barriers and the complexity of ballot language, noting her narrow one-vote electoral victory. Advocates noted that AutoMark voting machines feature multilingual audio ballot-reading capabilities and confirmed that voters have the legal right to receive in-person voting assistance.
• Councilor Brian Worrell spoke in support of elevating the visibility and vibrancy of polling place signage and expanding voter engagement partnerships with Boston Public Schools.

• Alan Tanner (Former Voter Engagement Organizer and Boston Resident):

  • Testified in favor of Docket #1805 and Question 4, arguing that same-day voter registration eliminates administrative burdens for working families and first-time voters.
  • Refuted arguments raised by opponents, stating: "These arguments made about election security are the same type of argument seen when the current federal administration tried to eliminate or dissuade mail-in voting due to so called security concerns. This rhetoric only undermines our democracy and disenfranchises voters."

• Ed Shoemaker (VoterChoice Massachusetts / Former Election Commissioner):

  • Testified in support of Question 4, highlighting voter disenfranchisement caused by Massachusetts moving dates (such as September 1) overlapping with voter registration cutoff deadlines.
  • Urged the Council to advance the ranked-choice voting Home Rule petition to the State House.

The committee heard operational updates from Kerry Jordan (Executive Director, Boston Elections Department), Paul Chong (Commissioner of City Records and former Interim Elections Director), and Sabino Piemonte (Head Assistant Registrar of Voters):

• September Primary Operations & General Election Preparations:

  • Officials reported 79,474 ballots cast during the September 2026 primary across 275 precincts, supported by 1,700 poll workers and an elections call center answering roughly 800 inquiries with an average wait time under 16 seconds.
  • The department confirmed that a strict 100% redistribution policy is in place across all precincts and ballot cards to eliminate past formula errors, with multi-stage quality control packing slips signed off by staff, commissioners, and wardens.
  • The November 2026 general election will feature a three-page, double-sided ballot containing nine statewide questions, creating expected feeding delays at ballot boxes; two full weeks of early voting beginning October 17th across nine neighborhood sites will be heavily promoted.

• State Oversight & Federal Monitoring:

  • Regarding Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's February 2025 oversight order, officials reported active coordination with the Secretary's designee and confirmed state oversight discussions will formally conclude at year-end.
  • Officials explained that voter registration is validated solely through the Massachusetts VRIS system and that the department does not access the federal SAVE database.
  • City ordinance currently requires a Boston Police Department officer stationed at each checkout table to verify voter lists; Councilor Mejia requested exploring potential civilian alternatives.

• Department Resources and Operational Logistics:

  • Target recruitment is 2,000 poll workers. Poll workers receive a stipend for Election Day plus $30 for a 2.5-to-3-hour training session; Councilor Mejia advocated increasing training compensation and holding regional trainings.
  • Multilingual ballots and interpreters are allocated based on federal Voting Rights Act language formulas targeting Vietnamese and Chinese surnames, alongside supplementary translation services.
  • Piemonte highlighted that high school voter registration drives are conducted annually between January and graduation, led by Commissioner Ellen Rooney, which produced roughly 75 student poll workers during the previous state election.
  • Chong noted that while the department executes state law on municipal census tracking, issuing duplicate mailings and processing voter roll inactivations requires substantial administrative labor.

• Chair Louijeune announced that Docket #1805 (Resolution in support of Question 4) would be scheduled for a formal City Council vote on Wednesday, October 07, 2026.
• Docket #0183 (Order for a hearing regarding voter accessibility and election preparedness) was retained in the Committee on Census, Redistricting, and Elections for ongoing oversight.
• The hearing was adjourned.