Boston Disability Board Demands AutoMark Training Fixes, Eyes Voting Technology Overhaul

BOSTON — December 10, 2025 — Boston Disability Commission Advisory Board ends 2025 with urgent call to fix accessible voting machines. At the December 10 Zoom meeting, acting Chair Olivia Richard presided as the board heard from City Records Commissioner Paul Chong, who described a sweeping elections overhaul ordered by the Secretary of State after November 2024 ballot shortages — including 274 new electronic poll pads, mandatory in-person poll worker training, and a call center that fielded roughly 800 Election Day calls with an average wait of 58 seconds. But Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh and board member Carl Richardson pressed Chong on persistent failures with the AutoMark accessible voting machine, first introduced in 2003, with McCosh citing residents who left polling places unsure whether their ballots had been recorded, and the board's chair reporting in a written statement that he had already raised the issue with City Councilors Enrique Pepin and Sharon Durkin and with the mayor. The board and commission plan a joint meeting with the Elections Department early in 2026 and a board update by late spring; any equipment upgrade will require certification from the Secretary of State's office. The meeting also featured a presentation by Northeastern University assistant professor Dr. Michael Everett on autonomous vehicle technology, requested by Richardson in direct response to a City Council discussion on potentially banning the vehicles — technology Richardson argued could be "huge" for disabled residents living beyond the MBTA's service reach.