Boston Council Budget Hearing Scrutinizes Elections Technology and Staffing Gaps

BOSTON — May 13, 2025 — Boston's City Council Committee on Ways and Means grilled elections and human resources officials Tuesday over staffing gaps, new voting technology, and workforce equity during an FY26 budget hearing on Docket Numbers 0822 through 0830. Committee Chair Brian Worrell convened the session, which drew Councilors Edward M. Flynn, Liz Breadon, John FitzGerald, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Benjamin J. Weber, Enrique J. Pepén, and Julia M. Mejia. Chief People and Administrative Officer Alex Lawrence described the elections department's recent move under her People Operations cabinet and highlighted a 100 percent H-1B visa approval rate in the program's first full year. Elections Commissioner Ineida Tavares disclosed that the department, using a mid-year $750,000 transfer of FY25 funds, has issued an invitation for bid for electronic poll books, with a contract deadline in early June and deployment targeted before the November election. As of March 31, 2025, the department is on track to underspend its permanent-employee line while already $91,000 over its overtime budget. Councilor Mejia warned that ranked choice voting — set for a council vote the following day — would require equipment upgrades because the city's current ballot scanners take 40 to 45 seconds per page, a pace she said would worsen with a two-page ranked choice ballot.