Politics

Officials offer explanation for ballot shortages

The city has begun a full audit into the delays from ballot shortages at polling locations on Election Day.

Voters with their ballot's voting in the Presidential Election at the Cristo Rey Boston High School, in Savin Hill on election day. After the Secretary of the Commonwealth announced an investigation into the City of Boston’s administration of the Nov. 5 election Wednesday, officials offered an explanation into the ballot shortages. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

By Lindsay Shachnow

November 8, 2024

Boston’s Elections Department says an initial review into the ballot shortages on Election Day suggests there was an error in the formulas used to schedule the ballot deliveries.

On Wednesday, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin opened an investigation into the city’s administration of the Nov. 5 election.

Previously:

Investigation opens into Boston’s administration of Nov. 5 election

The investigation aimed to evaluate the “practices and procedures” of the Boston Elections Department “leading up to and including the State Election,” Galvin wrote in a letter to Boston Election Commissioner Eneida Tavares.

Galvin’s office concluded that several polling locations around Boston did not have an adequate number of ballots, despite the office having printed and delivered 766,200 ballots to the city, according to the letter.

Galvin said voters and election officials were unable to contact the Boston Election Commission to report the issues.

To address the shortage, the city mobilized the Boston Police Department to deliver ballots “as quickly as possible” to polling locations, the Elections Department said.

Precincts in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury were among those affected.

Despite long lines, in part from the delay in ballots, polls were not extended.

The department said the city received guidance that since all voters in line by 8 p.m. would be able to vote, extending polling hours to permit provisional ballots after that time would “not improve access to the ballot.”

“Ballot deliveries were received at polling locations so that everyone in line by 8pm would be able to exercise their right to vote,” the Elections Department said.

Tavares called the “undue delay” at the polls “completely unacceptable,” as “barriers in the voting process can lead to disenfranchisement.”

“The City takes our responsibility to effectively administer free and fair elections extremely seriously as the cornerstone for democratic participation,” Tavares said in a statement. “The City has begun a full audit into the delays from ballot shortages at polling locations during yesterday’s election, and will work closely with the Secretary of State’s office to support the state’s investigation so that the findings can deliver needed improvements to our voting system.”

Galvin’s office dido not have any updates on the investigation as of Friday and declined to comment while the investigation is ongoing.