State to keep a close, doleful watch on Boston elections for two years because of last November's ballot screwups

Secretary of State William Galvin announced today he'll be appointing somebody to oversee Boston elections this year and next to ensure precincts don't run out of ballots like they did last November - forcing long delays and in some cases preventing people from actually cast votes.

Not only did precincts run out of ballots, but nobody picked up the phone when increasingly frantic poll workers called the city Election Department at City Hall to get more ballots, according to a report by an investigator for Galvin's office:

The report notes that Massachusetts election law requires at least one ballot to be available for every voter. Despite receiving an ample supply of ballots from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office prior to Election Day, the City of Boston failed to comply with this law.

The investigator also concluded that the ballot shortage at polling places was exacerbated by the city’s failure to maintain contact with polling places throughout the day. While phones are provided in each precinct, the Boston Elections Department did not complete regular check-ins with polling places. Further, phone systems at City Hall were unable to handle the volume of incoming calls. As a result, both election officials and voters were unable to reach the Elections Department as ballot supplies dwindled. 

In addition to announcing plans to appoint a monitor, Galvin announced a series of requirements for Boston election officials to follow:

Under the Order, the Boston Election Department must develop comprehensive plans for pre-election preparations, Election Day administration, and any post-election issues.  

Subject to the Secretary’s approval, the city must adopt plans for ensuring communication with all polling places and members of the public on Election Day. Any issues that arise on Election Day must be monitored and reported to Galvin’s Elections Division immediately.