City Council pushes for ballot boxes outside of houses of incarceration

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, individuals who are incarcerated for non-felony convictions are still able to cast a vote in elections and are able to list their place of incarceration as their residence.

Common Cause Massachusetts estimates that there are around 595 eligible voters in houses of correction across Suffolk County, a number that is greater than some voting precincts in Boston.

On October 14, 2020, the Boston City Council held a working session on Docket #0643, exploring preparation for the upcoming 2020 election in November, including the feasibility of an all vote-by-mail election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this hearing we learned that the City has placed 17 ballot dropboxes across the City, in places that “individuals were familiar with, that would be under surveillance all the time.” As it stands, no ballot dropboxes have been placed outside of houses of incarceration in the City of Boston.

With less than two weeks until the election, the Council believes ballot boxes, absentee ballot applications, materials on candidates, and deadlines needs to be provided to every eligible incarcerated voter.