Boston's State General Election Preparations

Today, the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Boston released plans for tomorrow’s 2014 State General election.
 
The City of Boston has well over the number of ballots to satisfy each of the more than 380,000 registered voters eligible to participate tomorrow. Of the over 1,700 election officers working tomorrow, over 400 are fluent in second languages. Boston has a total of 255 precincts at over 150 polling locations which will be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

All precincts will have English/Spanish ballots. English/Chinese and English/Vietnamese ballots will be available in precincts where the population requires them. Interpreters will be available to assist voters in Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese dialects), Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, and Russian as well as a number of other languages, at locations across the City.

Inquiries regarding voter status made by email to the Boston Election Department should include the voter’s name, date of birth, and any associated residential addresses to ensure timely responses. The email address for the Boston Election Department is election@boston.gov and the telephone number is 617-635-3767.

For more information about tomorrow’s election, go to: www.cityofboston.gov/elections. To find out where you vote, click on "Voter Registration Search." Voters who are listed inactive because they have moved to a new address within Boston should return to the polling location of their last registered address in order to vote. For voters outside Boston, the Secretary of the Commonwealth also provides a voter registration search www.wheredoivotema.com.

REPORTER NOTES

Reporters are reminded that there are certain rules that must be followed in order to ensure a smooth voting process for voters as well as their privacy.The rules are:

• Interviews of voters are not allowed inside polling locations and must be done at least 150 feet away.
• Interviews with elections officers at polling locations are not allowed. Interview requests of Election Department officials will be directed through the Press Office at (617) 635-4461.
• Photos and b-roll shots will be allowed under the supervision of each poll’s warden.
• Photographers are reminded that zooming in on voter ballots and shots over the shoulders of voters will not be allowed – please respect every voter’s right to a private ballot.

The following locations for b-roll shots are recommended:

• Curley Recreation Center, 1536 Columbia Road, South Boston
• Holy Name Parish Hall, 535 West Roxbury Parkway, West Roxbury
• Tobin Municipal Building, 1481 Tremont Street, Mission Hill
• Orchard Gardens Community Center, 2 Dearborn Street, Roxbury
• Old South Church, 645 Boylston Street

The City of Boston Election Department will also be available for b-roll shots starting at 7:30 AM. Election results for the City of Boston will be posted online at www.boston.gov in real time as the results are delivered back to City Hall after the polls close.