Election chief: ‘Poll pads’ will be used to check-in voters for the first time at all precincts
The city of Boston’s board of Election commissioners has approved the sites for early voting in the city’s preliminary election, which will begin on Sat., Aug. 30 at multiple locations across the neighborhoods.
The early voting will be held over six days at ten locations ahead of the official preliminary election.
Voters will go to the polls at all 275 precincts across the city on Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 7 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Early voting will be held at 10 locations on Sat., Aug. 30 and Sunday, Aug. 31, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Registered Boston voters can go to any of the early voting locations, which will include the Richard J. Murphy School in Dorchester and Mattapan’s Mildred Avenue Community Center on the opening weekend.
A full list and schedule of early voting locations was posted today on the city’s Election website.
This year’s election is headlined by the contest for Mayor of Boston in which first-term incumbent Michelle Wu faces competition from three men: Josh Kraft, Domingos DaRosa, and Robert Cappucci. Kraft, a longtime youth worker, philanthropist, and son of New England Patriots and Revolution sports mogul Robert Kraft, is the chief opponent.
The election will also feature ten candidates competing for one of four at-large seats on the 13-person Boston City Council. There will also be contests for select district seats, including the now-vacant District 7 council office formerly held by Tania Fernandes-Anderson.
On Thursday, Election Commissioner Eneida Tavares told the Reporter that the preparations for the preliminary election, including the early voting period, are going well.
“We are working diligently to incorporate operational changes and I feel like we’re in a great place,” Tavares said.
The department came under additional scrutiny after last November’s presidential election, in which there where documented reports of certain precincts running out of ballots and complaints about slow response and poor communication.
Secretary of State William Galvin was among those most critical of the city’s performance and his office has a designee assigned to give additional oversight to the city Election effort this year.
But, Tavares says that the city and state have long enjoyed a cooperative arrangement and indicated that “they have continued to be a partner” as plans proceed for this municipal cycle.
One operational change that is coming to all Boston polling locations on Sept. 9 involves the means by which voters are checked in by poll workers on Election Day. For the first time, poll workers will use an electronic tablet— or “poll pad”— to identify and check-in registered voters by name and address. Before, voters were checked-in by workers who referred to a paper register.
The poll pads are not entirely new. They have been in use as part of the city’s early voting system since 2016, Tavares said. However, this will be the first year they will be deployed to all 275 precincts in the city’s 22 wards.
“It’s very exciting,” said Tavares, who added that the “experience” will not change much from the voter’s perspective, with one variation: “Now we will ask for their name before [the] address. We will then check them in and they’ll be handed a receipt and the ballot.”
Tavares added: “The poll pad is really a great tool because it allows us to have more visibility and monitors ballot inventory.”
It also promises better service if, for example, a voter shows up to the wrong polling station. The poll pad will quickly pull up the right location for the voter to head towards.
“They’ve been successful. We’ve had no issues with poll pads,” Tavares said of the early voting technology.
The Election Department has so far recruited 1,750 poll workers for this upcoming preliminary election and is still actively looking for more applicants for select roles, including interpreters, wardens, inspectors, and clerks.
Tavares said they city would like “as many hands as we can get would be great.”
There is a one-day stipend of $160-200, depending on the assigned role. The city also offers compensation for the mandatory, in-person training sessions that are being held ahead of the early voting period.
Another key detail also factored into the planning: Tavares and her team have ordered enough ballots for a 100 percent citywide turnout— with extras in case voters make a mistake and need a replacement ballot.
Bill Forry
Executive Editor, Dorchester Reporter
July 31, 2025