Why Voting Precincts Changed in the City of Boston

Forward of the November State Election, we needed to clarify why voting precincts modified within the Metropolis, and what which means for voters.

The Board of Election Commissioners is permitted to redraw precinct traces inside wards, each time such division is important for the right conduct of all federal, state, and municipal elections. These efforts are led by the Board Chair, who additionally serves because the Commissioner of the Boston Elections Division.

Earlier than the method accomplished in October 2021, Boston final redrew its precincts in 1924, when a fee appointed by the state legislature created the wards and precincts construction. Due to the Metropolis’s progress, a number of the Metropolis’s precincts had disproportionately larger numbers of voters, which posed challenges for administering elections, resembling lengthy wait occasions at polling places.

The Election Division labored with the Metropolis Council for greater than two years to establish precinct modifications that have been wanted, in preparation for the 2020 U.S. Census which is carried out as soon as every decade.

After finishing a radical overview of the Metropolis’s voting precincts, the Election Division recognized a number of wards the place precincts wanted to be redrawn attributable to voter registration knowledge and anticipated inhabitants progress. Following the Census, the Election Division labored with neighborhood teams, Metropolis officers, and the state legislature on the adopted precinct modifications. These modifications concentrate on fairness within the voting inhabitants of every precinct to scale back wait occasions and enhance voter entry. In consequence, some Boston voters have been assigned to new or totally different voting precincts, and a few of these voters may have been assigned to a brand new polling location. 

For instance, Ward 3 Precinct 7 beforehand housed 4,151 registered voters. Now, Precinct 7 is split into 2 precincts, creating Ward 3 Precinct 7 and Precinct 16. The brand new plan retains each precincts voting on the Cathedral Excessive Faculty and can now permit the Elections division to have a separate set of voting machines, voter lists, and ballot employees to assist with sooner processing.  

In South Boston, Ward 6 Precinct 1 was additionally the primary voting precinct for the newly developed Seaport neighborhood. This precinct housed over 7,000 registered voters and spanned nearly your complete neighborhood, requiring some voters to journey over one mile to forged a poll. The precinct plan allowed us to divide Ward 6 Precinct 1 into 3 precincts. Voters within the Seaport neighborhood will now have their very own voting precinct and polling location at District Corridor, bringing voting nearer to house. 

In accordance with the 2019 Ordinance issued by the Metropolis Council, the Election Division is now dedicated to reviewing precincts each 5 years, and redrawing precincts, as acceptable, after every U.S. Census to stop overpopulated precincts and guarantee straightforward and equitable entry to voting.

We encourage all Boston voters to test their voter registration standing and ensure their polling location forward of the November 8 State Election by visiting the Election Division web site.