All right. Good evening everyone. It is Wednesday, May 27th, 2026. I'm going to call the meeting of the board of election commissioners to order. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.
Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made, whether perceived or unpersceived, by those present, and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Commissioners, good evening. It's good to see you. >> Good to see you. I am going to start with a roll call attendance. Commissioner Campos
>> present. >> Commissioner Gippy >> present. >> Commissioner Santos >> present. >> And Chamberlines is present. Okay. Okay. I provided everybody a wonderful little bundle packet of information. You
have an outline of today's agenda as well as some meeting notes. So the first thing um on our agenda today is citizens input. As no one is with us tonight, we have no citizens input. Um, did everybody receive my email with a copy of the meeting minutes? If not, I did provide a hard
copy. >> So, we do have to approve those. So, can I get a motion to approve the minutes from the meeting of the election commission that was held on August 21st, 2025? >> Motion to approve. >> Motion to approve made by Commissioner Campos. Can I get a second?
>> Second made by Commissioner Gibney. Okay. Roll call. Commissioner Campos >> to approve. >> Yes. Commissioner Gibney. >> Yes. >> Uh, Commissioner Santos. >> Yes. >> And I vote yes. Okay. So, we have a little bit of a
packed agenda this evening. So, if we take a look at our outline, I just wanted to start with reviewing um the 2026 municipal census. So, it just about finished up with the response into my office so far. And as going back
looking at 2025 and 2024, it's been about a 50% return rate. Unfortunately, we're going through the non-deliverables right now making notations in the voters records for anyone who has not complied with the annual census for this year. And based upon the preliminary numbers,
there were going to be 22,000 inactive voters um heading into 2026. Amazingly, on that point, commissioners, last year we had just over 25,500 inactive voters. So, believe it or not, it's a little bit better this year. I was actually surprised by those numbers. I was anticipating that it would
probably be about the same, if not a little bit worse, but we're going to have about 22,000 um cards sent out to those voters who did not comply with the annual municipal census. Um I've already spoken to um our vendor and she's going to be working on sending out those cards with the target deadline for the middle
of June. So, the inactive list will be prepared for the first Monday in June, which happens to be June 1st this year. So, we're off and running. So if anyone out there who is listening, if you still have your municipal census form, it's not too late to return it. If you have conversations with anyone within the general public, just remind them to
please return their census form before the voter registration deadline. It is the only document that will attest to their residency in Fall River and keep their voter registration active. So that's critically important. Plus, it will cut down on the number of cards that will have to be sent out to voters to reactivate their voter registration
status. Um the printing costs, I just want to give you a broad uh breakdown. The printing cost for the 2026 municipal census was $14,450 and the most expensive thing for doing a direct mailing was just over $26,000 in
total this year. So, as we know from previous elections, for any voter who does not return the municipal census form or comply with the confirmation of residency card, as both Commissioner Santos and Gibney know from having worked at the polls in previous elections, um inactive voters will have
to um complete an affirmation of residency with the precinct warden or clerk before they're allowed to cast a ballot at the polls on election day. So, we want to cut down on that traffic at the polls, especially this year. It's going to be a relatively busy election. We're going to get into that, but it's already looking like it's going to be a
two-page double-sided ballot. So, the less traffic at, you know, the warden's table to have to complete affirmations, the better. Um, so please, you know, return your municipal census form or if you're on the active voter list, please, um, return your confirmation card before the voter registration deadline, just as
a heads up, is always 10 days before um, uh, the election, the respective election this year. Um, also the other important thing because I get the records request all the time. The only document that attests your residency in the city of Fall River is the annual municipal census. And I can only certify
your residency in Fall River if you return your long form municipal census and make it part of the official record. So that's also another critically important point of why you do want to return your census form on an annual basis. So, it always devastates me when someone, especially a veteran, for example, is trying to apply for the
veterans bonus through the state treasurer's office, for example, um when they're looking to verify their residency for this year or previous year, and they themselves or their family members did not return their census form for them, and I can't attest to their residency. It always kind of devastates me when I can't sign that
form for them. Um, a lot of the time the treasur's office will try to work around that as best they can, but the easiest way to attest your residency for a number of reasons is just to return your census form. Um, the forms always go out at the end of February or by the end of January, beginning of February at the
latest and it's so easy to return them. I have the dropboxes all over the city. The response with that is actually relatively good. I want to say between Stop and Shop, Market Basket now more than ever and Shaw's up in the north end. I mean, the boxes are always overflowing. So, it's always great to see the response rate from those who
always comply with the census, but it's always an ongoing conversation. I know that I had mentioned last year during our commission meeting during the middle of the summer that I had a conversation with um a couple of my colleagues around Massachusetts from Lel to Taton. Um, the secretary's office is trying to find a
way to improve this to try to get the legislature to appropriate money to the cities and towns, to the local election officials, to help us to reach out to the general public to make the compliance with the census a little bit better than what it has been because we're not the only ones who are having
this problem when it comes to a 50% return rate. And decades ago, I think Commissioner Gibney would definitely remember this, the police officers were conducting the census doortodoor on behalf of the um commission chairman at the time. So the response rates go >> back to that just to try and see,
>> you know, I don't think so unfortunately because I think at the time up until the mid 1970s was converted to direct mailing by chairman O'Neal. Um, at that time I believe it's because you always had a parent at home or a family member at home that was very easy to have a relationship with a community police officer and be able to provide the
information um to the elections department or to the register at the time. Now I just think with having you know two people not at home all the time in a much more transient population it's much more difficult I think to be able to do that. That's why it was converted to direct mailing um in the mid1 1970s.
But our census records up until at least, you know, the late 1980s, early 1990s are almost 95 to 100% accurate. But over the past couple of decades, every gateway city in Massachusetts has struggled with having a compliance rate. And then all of us have had, you know,
it was so surprising when I had this conversation with one of my colleagues in the towns that she said, "My god, you have 25,000 people. That's more than the population of the town of Somerset, you know, um, on your inactive voter list." So, I mean, it is actually kind of surprising when you kind of hear those numbers because it sounds kind of
staggering, but it's always an ongoing conversation. I always encourage everyone, including, you know, everyone on on the commission to please have those conversations with the general public. Remind everybody if you have that form, send it in. I will take it in for you. You can fax it to my office. Probably it's easier to scan. And amazingly, I do have my email address on
the back of the form. And I cannot tell you the response rate with people either scanning and returning it via email or people taking the effort of just taking a picture with their cell phone and emailing it directly to me. Whatever it takes to get someone to comply with the annual municipal census, I will take it.
I print out that form. It's on file. You were all set. I send them a happy smiley face and they're just happy to get the response back. But I'm like, you took the effort to do that. That's what matters. So if you don't want to send it through the post office, you can email it back. You can take a picture and scan it back. >> They do everything.
>> They do everything, you know, especially >> hate, you know, I mean, they do everything >> and, you know, it's the same thing applies to vote by mail applications. You can scan it in. You can take a picture and send it back in. So, I figured, you know, why not include the email option? And again, to see a few hundred people do that. I'm like, it
makes a small difference. So, year after year, you know, it's it's a great thing to be able to see that. >> If they misplace the form, can they get a new one? >> Oh, absolutely. People call the office all the time to request a new form. I do have the census form >> also fill it out and >> absolutely the form is right at the
department window. Um I can mail it right to them. Um or I do have the form readily available on the department website as well. So it's readily um for anybody who might need a replacement form. Please contact the office anytime and we'll get one out to you because I definitely want to make the census records as accurate as possible every
single year. That's so critically important because that is big project number one starting every calendar year for the elections department. So, any questions about, you know, the 20 the 2026 census and what's going to transpire next as we head into the election calendar?
>> Okay, exciting stuff. Okay, so we have two elections this year. We have the state primary which has been scheduled by the legislature well in advance. Thank God. It is a week before Labor Day this year on it's going to be held on Tuesday, September 1st, followed by the bianial state election on Tuesday,
November 3rd. I also gave you a breakdown of the voter registration totals. We are back up to a higher number than we had in right up to 2024 levels with 63,284 registered voters. I included it the breakdown by political affiliations. We
have 44,160 voters who are currently unenrolled. We have 14,605 registered Democrats and 4,519 registered Republicans. So, the state primary this year, just to remind you and the general public, registered
voters who are registered with the Democratic and Republican parties are only legally allowed to vote in their party's respective primary. I'm sure you definitely remember this from working the polls on election day. Unenrolled voters are those enrolled in with political designations. The former Libertarians and Green Rainbow Party um
designations are considered unenrolled and are allowed to choose the primary ballot of their preference on election day or if they do want to apply for one um by mail. That's the one caveat heading into the state primary that does cause some confusion for the general public. So, I want to make that crystal clear as possible. And in your travels,
having conversations with voters, just remind them, please don't forget the state primary. You do not have to rush to the elections department if you're unenrolled to enroll with the political party. If you are unenrolled, you definitely have the option of voting in the state primary and you have the primary you have the choice of choosing
the primary ballot of your preference. And for this year, we have the Democratic primary ballot and the Republican primary ballot. After the 2024 state primary, um the Libertarian Party is lost their ballot status and has been reverted back to political designation. And those voters like the
former Green Rainbow Party um ballots lost their primary status after 2022 is now considered a political designation. Okay. Any questions about the designation of the primary process? Okay. So, all polling precincts, all 27
polling precincts will be open from 7 am until 8:00 PM on election day. And of course, this year we do have in-person early voting as well as um early voting by mail. We have the two great options for the general public. Um, so in regard to inperson early voting, um, my
prediction is going to be looking back at the last time that we had, um, the midterm state election in 2022, we had about 1,200 people that voted early in person just because of all of the attention heading into a midterm state election. In 2024, in November, for
example, it was about 3,300. I think Commissioner Gibney was here at the time. I know Mr. Gibney was here working the polls at the time, but I mean, all bets are off when it includes a presidential election. I'm really going to base the turnout numbers off of the midterm state election in 2022. We had just under about 1,200 people voted
early in person and then we had close to 10,000 people vote early by mail. So the by mail option when it comes to this bird I have to tell you one wing is kind of big, one wing is kind of small. We've had this follow-up conversation, my clerk association, the Mass Clerk's association has had this conversation
with our delegation, with members of the legislature because we're very curious about how things were going when it came to early voting because it started as a pilot program back in November 2016 only for the in-person option and then when early voting by mail was introduced, I
mean, that took off very quickly and voters love the option of voting early by mail. But this year, we're going to have both options available to the general public. We're going to have one week of in-person early voting prior to the state primary and 14 consecutive days of in-person early voting for the
state election um the week before November 3rd. So, I definitely want to encourage the general general public there is plenty of time to register as a voter and there is plenty of time to cast a ballot one way or the other. You have a myriad of options to be able to cast a ballot this year in person on
election day before election day in person here at Government Center. We'll be um discussing uh we're going to be voting on designating the atrium as a polling as the permanent um polling location in personally voting shortly. Um and of course applying for a mail and ballot or an absentee ballot, which the
deadline to do so is always a week before the election. So there's plenty of time to get engaged with the electoral process and file your application or a vote um in person. Um, so yep. I just want to go through the application deadlines real quick unless anybody had any questions about in
person or by mail. Okay. So, the absentee vote by mail application deadlines is always a week before the election, which always lands on a Tuesday. So, if you're interested in applying for um an early voting or absentee uh by mail ballot for the state primary, the deadline is on Tuesday,
August 25th. And for the state election, it's going to be on Tuesday, October 27th. So, the deadline is always the fifth business day, which is always 7 days before the election. And again, you can apply directly online through Secretary Galvan's online portal. And I love the voters who take the initiative
last minute, print out the application, take a picture with their phone, and email it directly to me. As long as they have it in my inbox by 5:00, 5:00, excuse me, it will be accepted, timestamped, and we'll get that ballot out to you as soon as possible. However, the one thing I really want to emphasize, if you are thinking about
applying for a mail and ballot, do it as soon as possible. File file your application with the elections department as soon as possible. I know sometimes we are kind of uncertain about future plans, what things are going to look like, but if you're questioning about applying for a mail and ballot, it's better to get the application on
file with my office as soon as possible rather than waiting for the last possible minute. And because of the turnaround process with with processing application and getting um your ballot ready to be delivered to the post office, the post office does recommend at least applying within two weeks
because of that turnaround because we do have to get the ballots out the door. They have to get delivered and we don't want anything to be turn uh turned returned non-deliverable to the elections department because there was not enough time to get it out in the mail or um the post office getting out to voters in the mail. So that's
critically important. Okay, so here comes the important conversation when it comes to in-person early voting. The schedule schedule has been set by the legislature. Um, it's going to be from Saturday, August 22nd through August 28th for the state primary. The weekend
hours, um, I've set from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. And the weekday hours always coincide with the hours of Government Center from 8:00 a.m. until 400 pm. And then fast forwarding into November's um state primary election, um it's scheduled for Saturday, October 17th
through Friday, October 30th. Again, it's 14 consecutive days. The weekend hours are going to be from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. And the weekday hours again will coincide with the hours of Government Center from 8:00 a.m. until 400 p.m. So, we have a heavy schedule of voting options for the general public.
So, please, for anyone out there, please take advantage of that. And there will be reserved parking all the way along the entire stretch of Sullivan Drive for in-person early voters. And the same thing applies to the polling precincts that are assigned here on election day. The voter registration deadline, as I
mentioned before, just want to get into a little more um detail on that, is always 10 days before election day by 5:00 p.m. I will have special registrations uh special registration hours in my office, excuse me, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. for both deadlines. And again, the deadline to register to
vote for the state primary is going to be on Saturday, August 22nd. And the state for the state election, it's going to be on Saturday, October 24th. And coincidentally, that coincides with the first day of inperson early voting. So on that day, if you make it to my office, you can register to vote and
vote in person um in early in person as well down here at the atrium. So it's also a great day. Two birds, one stone. If you want to register to vote as your first time as a first-time registrant or reactivate your status and um cast a ballot early, you're more than welcome to do that. So, we have a couple of
great options for, you know, voter registration and voting early in person. And again, for predictions when it comes to the state primary, um I know it was relatively quiet back in 2022, 2022, excuse me. Um even though again the races were relatively contested at
the time. I know looking ahead to this year in November especially. I believe every local race including the county elections are going to be contested. So I definitely want to say the turnout predictions for the primary might be relatively small this year but for November I think it's going to be um a
little bit higher than we've seen for the past number of election cycles which for me is very exciting to say that. I'm hoping that we're going to be closer to at least 20,000 voters participating in the state election, which is going to be up from the 17,000 from 2022 and 2018
because the local elections here for state representative, state senate, and for district attorney, the county races are going to be contested and hopefully that drives the voter turnout. I think when voters are engaged on the local level, that always makes a little bit of a difference. So, um, it's to be
determined, but I'm always optimistic that the voter turnout is going to be higher than what preceded it. Um, so just based upon what we saw in 2018 and 2022, this year, I'm hopeful that the numbers will be higher than we have seen previously. So, any questions about
anything before we just continue on to our nuts, the next part of the nuts and bolts conversation? Okay. All righty. So, just in regard to inperson early voting, um we just have to vote to designate the atrium
as the voting center for inperson early voting for the 2026 state primary and the state election. So, can I get a motion to do so? >> Motion made by Commissioner Santos. Can I get a second with my pen stuck? Can I
get a second? Seconded by Commissioner Campos. Okay. All right. I'm going to do a roll call votes. Commissioner Campos >> approve. >> Okay. Commissioner Gibney >> approve. >> Okay. Commissioner Santos >> approved. >> And Chairman Lions votes yes. >> Okay. So we're all set. The atrium will
be the designated location for inperson early voting for the state primary and for the bianial state election. And this schedule is already on the department website, but I will be releasing it again and again and again for the general public starting the middle of the summer. So that is my plan because I
since we have to do it legally, I want voters to take advantage of it one way or the other because now there is no excuse not to be able to cast a ballot um before election day and on election day. Okay. Okay. So, in your packet there, I put
together um there is a copy of the resolution that was filed by the city council at the end of two November 25th, 2025, as well as a couple of the proposed changes for the city council's approval when it comes to a few of our polling locations. And I think Commissioner
Campos is familiar with this conversation from what we had to do back at the end of 2023. Um this time based upon the resolution that was filed by vice president Dion and councelor Kadeim, they wanted um me to have a conversation with the
commission on disability to evaluate a number of polling locations. And I know it stemmed especially their main concern stemmed over to BCC when it came from the distance from the reserve parking lot which was fantastic. um from the distance from the reserve parking lot,
parking lot number three, walking down to uh building G, which was our voting center up in the north end for precincts 8B, 8C, and 9A. I have to say the facilities were wonderful. I did offer the transportation with a golf cart, but the council felt that it was a little
bit of of a complication for the voters to get back and forth regardless of the assisted transportation. So, I definitely told them that I would address that in the back of my mind for some time just in case that that continued to be a problem. Um, I told them I would move those locations over
to Dery High School to the old Nagel Auditorium just in case it always had to be a fallback if something was not going to work. I know Commissioner Campos was up there I think last election in November 2024. I mean, it was running very well. I know I had this conversation when um at the end of 2024
they had asked me to come down to talk about how things went and it's always very difficult to base one election year to the other when 2024 when you had the presidential and state primary with the voter turnout at 15%. It's very difficult to judge that based upon what
happened in November 2024 when the turnout was over 50% when we had 33,000 voters between 33 and 34,000 voters casting ballots but early and in person. So about 16,000 people went to the polls on election day and I spent a good portion of the afternoon at BCC and it
was running like Union Station. Things were going very well and for the first time there was not one phone call coming into my office to complain about the lack of accessible public parking. Nobody was complaining about Card Maderas or Spencer Bordon Elementary School. Nobody was complaining about the
fire station on Eastern Avenue which was had been a problem for a long time which thankfully we had addressed um the year prior. Um, so I felt that it was going relatively well. I certainly understood where voters were coming from about the distance between lot three and building G. I felt it worked out better than what
happened at the beginning of 2024 when I was told that they'd reserve half of the parking lot behind the school and that kind of collapsed in on itself because the chief of police up at Hec had told me that they couldn't find the right way to block off half of the lot for voters
and half for students and things that happened on election day where the entire lot was full of cars for faculty and students and voters had no idea where to go and that got rectified and you know Joanne um Bentley who was the director of facilities up there was wonderful. She's like, I will give you the entire lot in the in the front of
the campus and hopefully that will rectify rectify things to be a little bit better. And you know, I felt that it did, but I can certainly understand where the council was coming from and I told him in the back of my mind just in case um I always had Jery High School as a fall back, you know, provision if you will. And on top of that, one thing that
made councelor Raposa very happy when I had my budget meeting with them last night was, and I think this will affect you as well because I know you're you're a voter in precinct 7A. This has been another concern for the city council as well as a number of voters who vote at the Methodist church at precinct 7A. Um the lack of parking but the cost for
that one location with going to BCC precinct 7A will be merged together with the other three precincts at the Nagel building at Derby High School. So we're going to be moving those four locations. Um that is my recommendation to the city council. And when I had my zoom meeting
with Mr. Belli and Mr. Robelard from the disability commission with um vice president Dion and counselor Gadim. They were very happy to hear that consolidation with those four precincts going to um Dery High School and it's going to be on the older section. The address I think officially is on Ray
Street but the entrance point is going to be between Tresant and Ray Street. I'm already planning to order the big giant ban was to put on the fence on Ray Street and on Tresant Street so voters know to enter right there. Um when I did my site survey with the commission on disability and the traffic director, um
director McCarthy will be reserving half of the entire parking lot there for voters only. And I assured councelor Pereira that I will still have a golf cart on election day just in case um if voters do require transportation. If for some reason they park way at the top, um the handicap um placards will be
reserved for or or spaces will be reserved for voters with handicap placards closest to the building. Um so I think it's going to work out very well. based upon the the arrangements we have now with um Mr. Bacho and the school department um at Jerky High School as the one consolidated voting center up in the north end. It's going
to be um and I I'd never been inside the building before coming from grad being a graduate of Summers High School. So full confession um so walking into the Nagel section of the school. It's going to be in the main open foyer. that is going to be where we're going to stion off the four locations and just in case there is
almost I think you voted at BC you voted at BC I'm sorry at BCC yet at Spencer Bordon it was a side room there was an old side room to at Spencer Bordon and we have a similar setup just in case if we have to use one room at Dery High School for like precinct 7A for example
if it's too small of a section but I think everything between those four precincts at Derby High School it's going to work out very well I think for the public there's ample parking the spacees is there and the distance I don't believe is going to be a problem but I did assure you know council Pereira that I will give a golf cart
just in case if anybody wants to take advantage of this >> and counting it immediately >> no not at all that was a very easy conversation um I had the conversation with the mayor with Mr. from the school department. And the great thing about that, um, Ken is letting me going a week before the election to set everything up to kind of
put my mind at ease. So, it's been a very easy, um, working relationship with, um, the school department in terms of anything that we need on that side because thankfully, it's the oldest section that is only in use, I think, one side of it for a preschool right now or a daycare. So, this entire section is
not really used at all by the the high school itself being in the older section of the building, which was very interesting to see. And I know they're working on the auditorium to become like a community theater, I think, at some point. So, it'll be nice for voters to kind of see the preview of coming
attractions when they go in there and kind of walk down memory lane. I It was kind of funny going in there with um Director MacArthur and and um and Danny Robelard because I think they went to school at Director was like, "Oh my gosh, look at this." And you can kind of see the before and after. But um so that is the proposed consolidation for those
four precincts 7A, 8B, 8C, and 9A up in the north end of the city. Um the biggest part of the conversation why this is taking a little bit longer for me to present it to the city council um is what is transpiring in the north uh no sorry the south end of the city. Um the biggest cause of concern probably
the past 20 or so years for the commission on disability has been um the two precincts at the fire station on Plymouth Avenue. The complaints that they have had um and I think a number of city councils have received about the ADA compliance and accessibility of going into the parking garage or going
into the garage at the fire station has been a problem for a number of years. Um so I assured both Mr. Velli and Mr. Robelard this problem would be rectified this year no matter what. I will definitely address that. The question for me was how am I going to do that? How am I going to address this problem?
Because we're so boxed into that section of the city where I had a conversation two years ago with um director MacArthur about what would it look like if I moved it down to the green elementary school and almost immediately like grenades were going off because she said it's
never going to work over there between the one grade traffic. She's had problems with neighbors with her parking patrol officers. The red flags were off the charts. Right. mentioned this to um Commissioner Campos two years ago during that round of consolidations that it's never going to work moving from this
area to a heavily densely populated section of the city to have even for a day to have voters in two precincts go down to this elementary school. It's just not going to work. So that's why on the back of my mind I'm like, "Okay, let me try to have a conversation with um director Curran, the director of health
and human services about hijacking her senior center, which can be a bit taboo when you kind of push, you know, an activity aside for a day." So a a just in case provision, which I get approval for from director Curran and from the Dasis of Fall River because I never realized that we or her department rents
from the Dasis the old St. Elizabeth's Hall, which I think Commissioner Santos might remember was the old hall from St. Elizabeth's Church on Tucker Street um to use that facility as the new location for precincts 2C and 5A to relocate them from the fire station. However, I really
don't want to do that because you're really kind of moving at it a great distance from that kind of centralized location at the top of Niagara Street and Warren Avenue, Warren Street and Plymouth Avenue in the Niagara section of the city all the way down Stafford Road. if I have to do if we have to, you
know, vote to approve that, it's kind of like an emergency situation because we have to get out of the fire station. But this is why the mayor had a conversation with me about what about the Liberal Club is always been kind of thrown at the wall, I think, for quite some time. And the one problem with the Liberal
Club, well not really a problem, the one issue with the Liberal Club right now was the fact that the law does prohibit the use of any location that serves alcohol within its premises, anywhere on the grounds or premises where voting is going to take place on election day. However, the interesting thing about
that when we look when I pulled my records out and I had a conversation with um John Rosenberry from Secretary Galin's office, we pulled the records from 2020 during CO the law had been was amended to allow the designation of a vote of a voting center, a polling
precinct in a location as long as where voting was taking place, alcohol was not being served in that particular section of the building. Like fantastic. However, just like with all the laws in 2020 that pertain to the code of regulations with elections, they expired
December 31st, 2020 and the votes act was adopted in 2022 and the regular statute that had been in place for a long time when it came to the designation of polling places went back into effect. So, I had attached I think a copy of the letter that I submitted to
um with a draft language from Secretary Galvin um and I put together a letter that they had recommended that we send that I send to our local delegation. So, Representative Sylvia Fiola and Roulette and Senator Rodri are going to be sponsoring that draft language, that
special legis legislation right now um up on Beacon Hill before the legislature, almost like a home world petition, but not to that extent to authorize um the Full River City Council specifically to designate the Liberal Club as a polling location here in the
city. So to kind of wrap that up in terms of the designation for the south end, um the plan is because we've had a number of complaints with the number of locations in the south end, the commission, the disability commission had a big problem with amazingly a lot of the housing authority locations. They
did not like Julen Apartments because of the accessibility and the complaints about Duelan itself. just for voters on election day. I think when you travel there on election day and when you do make your rounds on election day, it's so difficult to get into and voters have been complaining for a long time about the fact that if you live there, like
Mr. Belli had said to me, it's wonderful if it's your living room, but the overall accessibility for the general public and for voters who require ADA compliance or needs with ADA compliance, it's so difficult for them to to traverse back and forth here. And for voters, just regular voters overall,
they're parking in the Savers parking lot, crossing the street, making that great walk, trying to get into the polling center on election day. And I have no idea how it's been able to work for this long period of time. And actually, the back of my mind, had the fire station not been an issue at this point to relocate Duelan to the senior
center, that would have been a much easier switch at this point. Um, and in the course of my conversation with Mr. Robelard and Mr. Velli I had mentioned that the liberal club might be a possibility for the future if not 26 maybe 27 but their commission had
actually voted to you know uh for Mr. facility to they overwhelmingly endorsed all the changes on the suggestions that I had presented to you that I'm going to be presenting to um the city council as well as overwhelmingly in favor of using the Liberal Club as the designated
polling location for the south end for precinct 1B which is dual apartments precincts 1A and 1C which is at LNO which ever since it was converted to a oneway recently has only caused more problems than the simple fact that >> we cannot I
That's one thing that we keep hearing about now more than ever is the fact that half of the street now on Anthony was converted to oneway traffic only which causes a lot of confusion especially with bigger elections like 2024 and I would imagine 2026 and combined with the fact that when it
comes to a march in presidential primary or preliminary school is in session and voters have to walk into the building the security concerns around schools have been much more significant now than it has been in previous years. That's one of the reasons why Spencer and Tanya Bordon became a top priority for
consolidation. I mean, I know a couple of years ago when voting was still at Spencer Bordon, I mean, we were getting calls from administration into my office saying, "Somebody walked into a classroom by mistake. Somebody tripped a silent alarm. Can we do something about this?" And I'm like, "Well, I can give you stansions. There's a police officer
that we can try as best we can, but the officer has to stay in the voting room where voting is taking place with the pole workers. He cannot stand outside and I cannot ask the police chief for another officer. So, you know, relocating out of schools has been one of the easiest things. BCC is one thing,
Derpy is another, but the elementary schools, especially when we don't have a separate room onto ourselves like CUS and Mary Fonica, it's it made things very complicated on election day. But the overall parking, the traffic situation around Anthony Street, especially when the elections are bigger, it just made for the need to
relocate from LNO and Dualin and try to find a location that has a huge room. And when Mrs. Murphy came down from the secretary's office to do her site survey, she was amazed. Pulling up in front of the Liberal Club, she said, "It's so deceiving. You have no idea how
actual the sheer size of the going to be used in the gold room." That's the proposed plan. um using the gold room to have the five precincts there um because I'll get back to blessing in just a second, but for Laterno and Duelan to be centered there and just the sheer size capacity at the Liberal Club um would be
fantastic. >> Brian, is there any concern about the Liberal Club closing prior to elections? I know the rumors are out there, but the restaurant part I know for sure is closing. >> That's that was the one thing because now the restaurant is closed and the club itself and their rental halls are
remaining open as of right now. Correct. Um, so I've not heard anything from the club president who was actually again was very happy to have elections come there because I think for them they're very happy to have almost like VCC having more traffic come in there to kind of see what the club might have to
offer people and um I think for them they're kind of happy because more traffic coming in there seeing what the club might have to offer somebody might rent the hall. So for them it's almost like actually a really good thing but I've not heard anything in terms of that side of their business I think closing. are trying to I think selling the kitchen or trying to find some to take
over the operations of the bar restaurant side. But the club itself and their function halls I think are remaining as is of right now. So I mean if there was anything else that would that would have changed about that then I definitely would have said well this is not going to work. Um because that
was always my biggest concern the minute I heard the Liberal Club closing. Well this entire consolidation idea is just not going to work. We have to remain where we are until somebody builds something. I keep saying can somebody just build something in the south end but um I think definitely with the
liberal club as it is right now in that location and just back to Plymouth Avenue just we're taking our segway around the city right now um at Blessed Trinity we do have the two locations 2A and 2B. So it's going to be kind of like a bait and switch if you will and actually think Father Rob is really going to get get a kick out of this
because that section of Plymouth Avenue is actually precinct 2C. So, Father Rob, who actually is the pastor of Blessed Trinity, he votes at the fire station, even though he lives right there. So, we laugh about that all the time just because we I think 15 years ago when they finished Blessed Trinity Church, we
relocated the two precincts from the Globe Fire Station on Eastern Avenue. Um because the other section, the the other section of Plymouth Avenue, the Saint Anne section all the way down to Eastern Avenue, precincts 2A and 2B, they vote at Blessed Trinity, and then 2C and 5A,
which is the Niagara section. the Stafford Road section, they vote at um the fire station. Um so it's kind of interesting. You look at war two, the way that it's kind of borders, you know, pre um precinct 5A and precinct 4B, the way they kind of, you know, all hug each other's hands. Um so I think Father Rob
is definitely going to get a kick out of, you know, the way things are going to change. And it kind of stems around the need to relocate the precincts out of the fire station. I always wish that, you know, Blessed Trinity was the same size as Good Shepherd, which is enormous, as Marlene knows. Um because that, you know, Good Sheperd has an
enormous parish hall, which if anything was ever to happen in the south end, could definitely accommodate, you know, another two precincts. Um we'll talk about St. Anony's in a minute, but you know, Good Shepard has a large parish hall where Blessed Trinity, we can only fit the two locations right now. Um, so not to cause any further confusion for
the public, but I will make sure it's crystal clear in the notices that do go out that precincts 2C and 5A at the fire station. I'm moving down the street to blessed Trinity. This is the tentative of conversation right now and then 2A and 2B will be married with ward 1 at
the Liberal Club. And again, the sheer size capacity of the gold room. It's amazing when you see the entire room cleared out how large it actually is. It's kind of like when I saw Good Shepherd's Parish Hall just kind of cleared of all the clutter. I'm like, I never realized how big it was until you actually kind of see everything with
just the floor space itself. >> The little club has good parking. >> Oh, plenty of parking. Um, actually, when uh Mrs. Murphy was doing her site evaluation, she was amazed by the sheer size of the walkway heading into the door. >> Yeah. >> And I think there was one thing that I told her, we will definitely take care
of. There was, I think, carpet in front of the door that I said, don't worry, we will definitely take care of that. Facilities, elections will take care of that before. And I said once the precincts are set up um I will send her pictures of everything. But she was very happy with that. She also surveyed um
>> is it the silver? Is it gold and silver? I'm probably I'm the middle room. I we have the gold room. I'm going to probably say silver, which I know is wrong, but the she also surveyed the middle room just in case if we needed like an overflow for some reason. They said we're more than welcome to use that room as well for election day. There
would not be a problem with that. So she kind of concluded her survey with looking at the parking lot. there was more than enough uh parking spaces. The traffic department will go by to add I think seven or eight total um handicap spaces right in front of the gold room. Um and and they told me that the lights
were just just replaced in the parking lot. So the lighting situation is fine. The doorway doorway itself is more than sufficient for voters with wheelchairs that require handicap assistance and just the sheer size of the room itself um is more than accommodating for the
general public on election day. Um and again the disability commission they were just thrilled with um not just the consolidations but with the potential idea of using the liberal club in place of the elementary schools and locations like duel and apartments. They just find for not just ADA compliance but more
accessibility with voters with um handicap requirements that the liberal club would be a much more of an accommodation for them. um let alone I think a lot of voters who I think live at Bates Apartments for example would have found it very difficult getting to and from their location to Adulan Apartments and kind of vice versa within
other other sections of precinct 1B. So I think all around as a very centralized location it's very accommodating to relocation from Dulan Lernno and Blessed Trinity. Um and it really kind of solves much the easier making the this situation much easier between relocating
from the fire station to the senior center which to me I really didn't want to do unless it was an emergency situation. So hopefully if this legislation is approved by the legislature, we get permission, the council um can vote to designate the Liberal Club this year hopefully going
forward. Um so fingers crossed it's going to happen um by July and I spoke with Representative Fiola. Um she and Representative Sylvia are trying to get the shepherd through um as quickly as possible this year. But that is the tentative plan and once it gets through the house it's handed over to Senator
Rogers and on the Senate side it's kind of a walk through once something passes the House. So, that's kind of my >> I have a question. >> Of course. Yes. I know that was a lot right there. I'm sorry. It's kind of the map is going through my head and I'm making sure I didn't miss anything, but
I'm not done. I got to go to the Flint. >> Well, so it seems like, you know, looking at the Liberal Club, which is obviously a great solution, but it does bring into a different scenario where there is a potential in the future that it doesn't exist in its current state,
which we don't have those. when you're talking generally with churches and you know you're talking apartment buildings or schools those are >> not twice Marley >> yeah lot less of of a risk there yes >> so what I would assume that we or would need to come up with some kind of
secondary plan looking forward not not in the immediate future but um if there even is a hint that there's a potential issue then it would make sense to say okay are we going to go back to the fire station is that what the backup plan is or should we be looking at an
alternative. Let's say it's a handful of years in the future where it something changes and we can't use that space anymore. >> It's an excellent question. It's definitely not going to be the fire station because I mean I know that >> Well, obviously we're trying >> Oh, no, no, I know I know. I know. I'm just saying I definitely wouldn't be at the fire station, but I think the fallback provision just in case, god
forbid, if something happened to the Liberal Club or any location, I think in the south end, then it probably would have to be a location like the Henry Lord Middle School. Okay. would have to be, I think, a consolidated location in the south end section of the city. Um, if something happened kind of on the other section of like South Main Street,
then Good Shepard could accommodate another one or two, possibly three precincts just because the sheer size of the parish hall. But there's always like a fallback provision in the back of my mind just in case what happened if something happened to that club or if this parish closed or we lost that senior center, what happens if the dasis
did not want to renew the contract with the city or the health department, we'd have to move it somewhere else. So there's always like, well, we do have that school even though we really don't want to go there unless that's going to be like an emergency situation. Okay. Um, so if something happened to Liberal at this point, given the number of precincts that would be potentially
consolidated there, um, then it would be a location like the Henry Lord Middle can accommodate that kind of >> that can accommodate that kind of traffic. And actually in the back of my mind before the Liberal Club, I kept thinking, well, Duelan is here and then the Henry Lord Middle School is right there. And I always kept thinking, you know, some time ago, I really wish that
it was moved there 20 years ago. Um, but I just think there was always an apprehension about going into schools over the past number of years just because of security concerns, the traffic patterns, and some locations in the city as you know, especially where Duelan is located, just like almost like
Spencer, it just it's not easily accessible for the public. So Henry Lord would be like a fallback provision almost like Dery if you will, uh, just in case. Obviously, we it's clear that we have a space that >> we do the just depending on approval by the legislature at this point to amend
the existing statute to give um the city council the authority to designate it as a polling location. I think overall just the formal conversations they've had with a couple of counselors, they look gosh, it just it looks fantastic as an idea. I think the delegation itself, they're like, well, that consolidation looks fantastic almost.
>> I'm sure it'll be good for the club, too. So I don't I don't think there's >> I think for them they have all this traffic, you know, start renting some space. I'm just kidding. But again, maybe somebody might see might want to take advantage of it for the future. >> Well, when else are you going there as unless you have a need to go there, >> right? Exactly. So you might learn
something else about, you know, the club while you're there or something else about some of the other buildings that we do use. And just kind of segueing from the south end to the consolidations over in the Flint section of the city. Um, one thing that I know Mr. facility had raised when it came to a number of the housing authority locations. It was
just the sheer point when he looked at Catel where I know he voted um for when he lived in that section of the city almost like Baressi that the buildings were not that accommodating when it came to ADA compliance. It was it was very easy. He told me for voters who lived in the complexes to get there to vote in
person um if that was your home almost like your living room but overall accessibility was not that accommodating. So to have them as part of the conversation um I found to be very eye openening for me um and especially when you look at just the overall accessibility between Catel and Baressi you've been there in your
travels I just think for the public sometimes it's been very difficult and some of the complaints most of the complaints in the Flint are coming from the Flint came from not just the fire station but between Catel and Baressi and a lot of voters vote early by mail now in that section of the city but just the overall accessibility between the
two highrises um has been a problem for some time. Um, even when you know the traffic department goes out the day before to reserve, you know, two spaces for handicapped voters and two spaces just for voters in general, if you have a handicap placard, you can park there all day, which I find voters abuse or
residents abuse all the time. And there's nothing that I can do about it. There's nothing the traffic director can do about that. If you have a placard and you're visiting someone, you live there and you have a handicap placard, you can park in that space, which technically was reserved for election day use, but there's nothing that the police or the
traffic director can do about that. And I found that we saw that a great deal at Bishab, for example, at Catel Baressi, a number of the highrises. This is the biggest problem at dual has been the biggest problem at Duelan Apartments for a number of years where there was no parking for voters at all. And God
forbid if you parked with a hinted camp lock pocket in a resident's parking space. We heard about that as well. So I mean parking has been as I had the conversation with Mr. Balei and Mr. Robelard. They understand that has been the biggest source of of a problem in the city for quite some time and they said a number of years ago you know the
idea of taking them away would have been like well we can't really see eye to eye on that but now going forward it's like and Mr. Mr. Pelli was telling me that his overall experience trying to walk into Catel and trying to get there for him um and his wife I believe um I'm not
sure about um what her concerns were but overall accessibility um for those who require handicap accommodations were a bit taxing and I'm like well this is actually very useful information. Um and then we did our survey of St. Anthony of the Desert Parish Hall and we brought
them all the way around the parish hall which was cleared out and they were just amazed by the sheer size of the parish hall itself, the sheer square footage and I said those two precincts can easily fit into the parish hall at St. Anony's which would be greatly accommodating. So we would have the two
there plus um merging precinct 6A and 6B from the highrises into St. Anony's. And again, as I emphasized to the city council last night, I have a driver all day. I have that mini bus on loan from the veterans officer and I offer transportation and he was gone all day
long in November 2024. He left here at 7:00 in the morning and I saw him at 10:00 at night. I mean, he was just he was a very busy guy and he loves it like that. I love to see that we were getting phone calls from residents and locations that weren't even affected by consolidations. I mean I have a set
schedule in place for Mitchell apartments for Olivera apartments for Bishop Eid for Card Maderas. He goes there first thing 8:30 in the morning at Carter Maderas for example or go back in the afternoon he's like there were residents outside the door waiting for me to pick them up to bring him to BCC for example he would go back in the
afternoon the same thing and then I was getting phone calls from Milican apartments from ships watch up in the north end people had heard that we were offering transportation and wanted rides to and from the polls on election day and then last year for both elections of 2025 we had one phone call come in from
a resident at Olive Apartments and of course he still went out there to card madiraas. He still went out there to Olivea and to Bishop Eden. He waited for a little while. Nobody was there at 8:30 in the morning or at 4:00 in the afternoon. So, it's just devastating to see that because I mean all these voters were there taking advantage of
transportation and participating on election day. But, and this is why I always say to the council and to the general public that you can never compare saying the voter turnout is going down. It's almost like a bad heart monitor, if you will. It's it's so hard because it's so generational. When my grandparents generation, Kathy and I
have had this conversation, dominated the city. You can tell the difference between a preliminary and a presidential in Fall River. Now it is just up and down and up and down. So it just is so hard to evaluate from one election to the other. But I always tell people all the time, please get out and vote. You
have no excuse not to. There's ample time to register. You can change your political affiliation status up until 10 days before. You can apply for a mail and ballot. If you want transportation to the polls, just contact the elections department. We can definitely arrange that for you. So, um, but when it comes to the consolidations, I think that was
everything because I'm I'm driving around the city of my head right now. Um, but we did I I completed on May 5th is when I did the um the accessibility survey with the Commission on Disability and then Director MacArthur came as well. Um, I had the two guys who work with me in um DCM set up the polls on
election day. Um, and I think it's going to work out very well based upon the tentative um, recommendations for the city council's approval. Um, so just waiting right now on the legislature to act on that draft language. Um, I know it's before the house clerk and house
council right now and I spoke to Senator Rogers um, legislative aid yesterday. Once it passes the house, that's a it's almost like a formality to get through the state senate and then it will land on the governor's desk, which again, it's almost like signing a home rule petition. Once she does that, then um
the city council is greenlighted to designate it as a polling location. Um so I know that was a lot that we had on the agenda tonight, but especially for what we just talked about when it comes to the polling precinct um discussion. Any questions about any of the consolidations, what is going to
transpire going forward? Um but if for some reason again the legislature does not act on that or I find that it's going to be a little bit too late because I don't want to give voters, I know legally I have to provide 20 days notice. I don't want it to be that, you know, late uh back up against the wall.
I know back in November, I'm sorry, January of 2024, the council approved the changes. I think their first meeting of the year, which gave me like a like 45day period to send out notification to the general public. Um I at least want that same time frame. Um and I at the same time don't want to have to move
down to the senior center and I don't want to revisit consolidations for, you know, unless we build Gillette Stadium in Fall River. Um but um I'm hope I'm optimistic that again what we're proposing right now, what I'm proposing to the city council, um the legislature will act upon this and based upon the
conversations with the delegation, they're going to act on it very swiftly and um will be enacted into law ASAP. >> How will the voters um that are being affected be notified? >> Are they all new voters? Will there be signs? >> Every single voter is going to
>> the um so the old precincts, will there be signs listed there? the mockups. >> The confusion at cuss. It was like people were coming in and they're like aloe vera, right? Aloe vera and we're like, you know, you're here. Well, I wasn't notified and it was like I'm sure
you were. >> Yes. So, direct mailings. I want I like to send them out within 30 days before the election. The 20-day time. >> Just to the active voters. >> Oh, to every registered voter. If you're on the voter roles, whether active or inactive, you are going to get a direct notice if your precinct um will be changed. Um the signs will be going up.
the large signs going to be going out at every location probably at least two weeks before election day. That way it's kind of in voters minds well in advance. Um I started doing the PSAs with um FRGTV with community access with WS as soon as possible. Um but I like
everything to kind of be fresh in voters minds within like the month before the election and seeing how the state primaries on September 1st. I want it to be right there within that like August 1st, September 1st mindset for the general public. So hopefully again the legislature will approve this by the
beginning of July. I can prep all of the notices to go out in the mail. I think Tim will be getting one for me with a smiley face. And um you know again I want to keep having this conversation with the public like I did at the beginning of January. Um and based upon the way everything looks right now it's not I don't expect any surprises to
happen like we had at BCC where everything was fantastic ready to go. the rose petals were on the ground and then all of a sudden it's like I'm pulling into the back parking lot and it's full with you know a thousand vehicles and then voters had no idea where to park and it's like well something happened by mistake that day.
had to rectify that problem by moving it to the front which you know logistically I can understand the distance problem but um the facilities and BCC again rolled out the red carpet and Joanne told me that we're welcome back anytime if anything ever happens BCC is always
an option um for any election activity not just for election day just in case um >> so where will the signs be for BCC uh before you get in to the >> right before you get in and actually I'm going to be asking um the event director to add additional large signs um to be
there. And I do want to get um I'm going to steal one of the signs from Director Furland, one of his flashing signs to be outside um the campus probably hopefully like a couple of days before, if not the week before, if I can steal it for that long, just reminding voters to vote at Derby High School that the precincts
have been relocated. And then for at least the day before the election, I'm going to ask um for one to be set up probably at the intersection of which I've always wanted to do this at the intersection of President and Ellbury Street to draw attention at election day. It's election day and if you go to
those precincts, it's going to be at um the high school. >> Now, could you r could we do signage for those going to BCC because you can get up to Nagel um between Driscoll and Dery. >> Oh, yes. >> Right. So obviously the the normal ways
would be off of what race street and and chestnut and chestnut but you can also go up. So for those people who maybe drove to BCC >> and they're coming back maybe there can be a sign. >> Yes. So the large like banner signs that say vote here 7A 88 C9A they're going to
be on the fences on Chessa and Ray. But like the arrow signage to kind of guide voters in case they go to BCC by mistake or if you live on Ellsworth coming down from that section they're driving in. Just follow the arrows to go to the old natal section of the building. So that's my plan to go out there with um my guys
from DCM to kind of make sure that everything's kind of mapped out as easy as possible while the main entrance is going to be on Ray Street. If voters do come in through the Elsbury Street section, they're going to be guided to go right there and not confused by trying to go in through the newer section of the house. >> Now, I know this is going to, you know,
but we know how people tend to be and sometimes, you know, they're not always aware of signage and things. Do you think it would make sense to put a body maybe at the corner on campus? So if someone just list
>> I didn't even get there. But just or or in and possibly like at that turn to go into the driveway of Dery near Driscoll because there's going to be people who have questions and rather than them just driving around and then saying you know what I'm not I don't >> Oh no no no I definitely it's almost like council had said you know when it
came to like the distance between the parking lot and building Gives voters like that one more excuse not to vote in that particular election and when it comes to municipal it's like please it's it's almost a dagger an extra dagger in the heart when it comes to somebody not voting in in a lower to voter turnout
election anyway. Um but definitely having someone assigned to be on that section by Elsprey kind of by the arrows if you will that's a very easy thing to do. I know the council had asked um last go around with consolidations it was impossible to find someone to kind of stay outside the buildings if you will to kind of redirect traffic. The signage
worked out well for people to be relocated where to go. Precinct 4A is now going to be at Matthew Cus. Here is the address you know. >> Yeah I'm sure it'll be pretty effective. But I think for Dery High School, this is a lot this is a much easier thing for them to do given the fact that you have
the old and the new. And actually, councelor Chimera asked me this the other last night. And that's gonna be the old section of the building, but I want to have this conversation after budget um because I wasn't kind of ready to get into it last night, but when I map it out for the council to know that um there will be um I'm going to have
someone assigned to be there. If not, probably on the golf carts, but um probably the two golf carts, but if somebody happens to be coming along that way, at least it'll draw the attention. Um here are the arrows, follow them, and if not, you know, this is how we get it. And then somebody can relay that information um to get to from the newer
section of the high school to the old Nagel section of the building just in case so that way nobody goes tries to go into a locked building and realize well I vote here at the high school now and now the building is locked and heck >> and people haven't gone to Nagel in a long time. You know I went there for high school and know it's been closed
for a long time. So people aren't really familiar with going into that parking lot anymore. A lot of people don't know the new driveway because, you know, unless you have a student, you know, or have a, you know, reason to go to Dery, you're not going up that that route. And >> that was an education for me, too. >> Yeah. And it but it's a nice little road
that connects up by Spencer Bordon up to the Nagel. So, you really >> I was amazed by that actually because I we went through an area that I never knew existed. Um, I know Chestnut and Ray because I walk it all the time and then but to see kind of like the windy road, if you will, between like Spencer, it's actually beautiful between when you
see the before and after what they were able to build between the old and new high school. I'm like, well, this actually will work out well. Kind of connecting, you know, without people having to go all the way around. But that's when I realized we're going to have to put, you know, some traffic cones or traffic can help me when it comes to kind of guiding voters from
Ellbury over to um I keep saying PCC over to, you know, the natal section of the building. Um which was which can be an easy thing to accomplish. I'll >> I'm sure a little thought to, you know, to go into that on how you want to route the traffic, but that's three separate ways for people to get in for a fair
amount of precincts that are going to be condensed into one spot. So, I mean it makes sense if you can just find a way to keep people from >> giving up on the pursuit of getting to the parking lot. >> Especially when they're there committed to do it on election day. This is basically past the point of no return. It's past early voting. It's past early
voting by mail. This is you voting on election day and especially as we're heading into a bigger election, a big election cycle with November 26 and you know with a two-page double-sided ballot. I just want to emphasize that one more time. It's going to be a very interesting election cycle. know the interest is going to be there and I
think we've been talking about the midterm elections for at least a year and a half already. So, I'm just excited by that fact plus the fact that with, you know, local elections being contested. I think it helps to drive the conversation forward by voters really being engaged on the local level, they
will get out to the polls and vote. So, I'm optimistic that it might be upwards of almost 20,000 voters really not going to win a couple of times here to getting out to the polls to vote. whatever I can do, whatever we can do to make the process easier for the general public. Uh that's what we're going to, you know, work on together. And that's why I tell
people it's always an ongoing conversation. You know, we always have to try to do that as best we can. >> But excellent point. >> That's why I always have like that, you know, almost like the Henry Lord conversation. It's like what if just in case, well, it's going to have to go to Henry Lord. Just like what if something
happened with BCC? Well, we're going to have to use Derby High School because the idea reverting back almost 100% like 360 if you will or going back to elementary schools. It's just that would be more of a concern than anything else if we have to. I mean that's like a god forbid like end of the world if we had
to. But thank God we have other you know fallbacks in between. And the partners that we have between you know good sheeperd and um maniorinior root or bishop root at St. Anony's he's been a wonderful partner. He has welcomed us warmly to be there. Um we have some great partners now and thanks to the president of the liberal club and her
association I mean they've been fantastic. So the conversations have been very easy. Yeah. >> Um and even with the senior center between you know director current and the dasis I think because the pastor of s of holy trinity actually still oversees the property and they were like oh not a problem. You're welcome. So um
you know it's been an easier process than I would have thought. >> You don't anticipate any problem with the city council if it gets city council? >> I do not from the informal conversations. I expect it to be uh it'll be a conversation I'll definitely have with them in public because I know that it's going to be you know kind of like round two because I even count the
president ponty had mentioned something two years ago about you know potentially further consolidations you know looking at the list that we had you know great consolidations a great step forward because the other ones that we had go back almost 20 years when we were forced to take action when my predecessors were forced to do something like when
Milicanin Apartments when the new owners no longer wanted the city to utilize as a polling precinct 2, I believe Chairman Cummings had to move it here to government center. Um, and the same thing happened up in the Highland Avenue when I think Did you work for the Highlander at one time, Kathy? Remember that? Um, up in the Highlander was a polling precinct for the north end of
the city for the far north end and then the new owners did not want the elections department to utilize any any longer. So, we had to move it to Calvary Temple. So, it's been kind of forced to make the changes, but at this time, basically, it was in a response over the past couple of years just by the simple fact that voters have been complaining
about accessibility, whether it's been the lack of parking or the concerns actually coming from the disability commission about, you know, the safety concerns, the ADA compliance concerns, parents concerns about the schools being open. So now I think you know going forward it's a real good set of you know
um of a list going forward a good set of accommodations going forward and I think it's really going to work out well and um I'm kind of excited to kind of see what they'll look like overall once everything is stoned and set and ready to go and the signs are basically mocked up and ready to go to the vendor to be
printed and >> I think it'll work out you know very well and again and definitely when it comes to the traffic patterns because Dery is like the one unique location Again, liberal is just basically you're raing your have an an accessible location. >> That's why the senior center was basically an emergency one because that
was going to be >> a little more complicated >> a little more complicated. You know, St. Elizabeth's was just it location. It was somebody's backyard. Um >> so um but yeah, that's that's the proposed head to the list right now, commissioners. um for what I'll be presenting to the city council um as
long as the legislature acts upon that special legislation and they all know that time is of the essence when it comes to the city council having to approve this list and they all know the dates of you know the election believe me for September 1st and November 3rd but especially for this because I won't
be taking any action if it's if it's too close to the state primary and there will be no changes between September and November it would have to be pushed off until next year so this will be revisited I think have to stay in place. I mean, the north end is one thing, but the south and precincts would have to be revisited um in a future conversation.
If it's um too late into the process, but if it's by mid July, then we can work with that. The notifications can be prepped, be ready to be mailed, and we can definitely get everything ready to go for the state primary. But that's the timeline why for me it's like it's never been this late before. Um but we had to
wait. Um with the city council resolution, I promised Mr. Pelli, Mr. Robelar that I would definitely do the site survey with them and the middle of the winter was not going to work. I mean we were still bearing out a 41 inches last week. Um so we waited until the middle of the first week in May and then
the Liberal Club required um a site survey additional site survey from the secretary's office. So >> it's been a slow process but a very productive and but slow process but it's worked out really well. So um any questions about anything? I know I throw a lot out to you. There's a lot out
there for the public to kind of digest. I don't want anybody to be confused about anything and um but no action has been officially been taken just for the public just to know um but you will know once the changes have been effective when the city council um votes to approve them if they do.
>> Does that include job >> the Nagel? Do we have to vote on that at all? >> Um for this round of consolidations um would do not. Okay, good. >> No, that's ultimately that's for the city council. Um they are the designating authority when it comes to polling locations. So the list would have to go um what's before you um it's
going to go directly to them. >> Good. >> Okay. And you do have the draft language. Um I wanted everybody to have a complete copy of that. >> What's going forward to them? Um and so any any questions about anything that was from census to consolidations to
>> Sounds like a lot of work for you, but >> on a rollway. >> Oh yes. I mean I I keep it flowing. That's definitely for sure. It's always one big project to the next. And I knew that after thankfully when the council they adopted this resolution it was at the end of last year so I knew what was going to be forthcoming. And for me basically when I had the conversation
with Mr. Belli it was like you know how do you want this to look like? How do you want to move this going forward? And I think probably the best thing was doing the site survey with the disability commission worked out very well because I learned a lot of things from both of them especially from chairman baselli about you know how things were for them especially when it
came to the housing authority locations that they had concerns about the fire station. I knew had been a problem for some time and I assured them that would be rectified. But just to know that, you know, for them they wanted more consolidated, easily accessible locations for the general public um was
just great news to hear. So >> well, I like to think consolidating it just makes it easier logistically, too. I mean, it's a better experience. >> Oh, and without question, >> yeah, you know, management of, you know, having a perfect, you know, election, it's a lot harder when you have all these sites to deal with and there's
problems and you can't get there. Um, the more we consolidate, the easier it will be to to have a better election overall. So, >> keep the nail on the wall. >> You hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's very exciting all around. Logistically, definitely without question, having the consolidations
makes it so much easier for me to get to if there is an issue, I think, for voters just to get to overall. That's probably the best package deal right there. Um but everything coming together like this is so much easier than having you know everything so sporadically you know spread out all across the city and
looking at some of the locations that you know for years were I can certainly understand the concept of having the working relationship between the elections department and the housing authority they were great partners for many many years and also have one location down homes apartments down by the waterfront by the bridge on Fulton
Street. Um but then again it's like for those who might live there it's one accommodation but the overall accessibility for voters and on average we have about 2500 registered voters per precinct. Now you have to put that into one larger perspective. Um it's like I
me I had a conversation with someone about this that I understand the fact that you might live next door to Spencer Bordon as an example but also and in conversation with the city council I'm like you do have to drive from your house all the way down you know closer to Eastern Avenue to get there. So, we have to put into perspective the fact
that voters, regardless of where you live to your to your polling in your within your polling precinct, you do have to get to your location one way or the other. Whether you might live across the street, next door, within a building, a mile away, it's every registered voter's polling location within that precinct. And that's how, you know, we have to make the
evaluations on that. So, that's the important thing. When Kathy and I um visited all the precincts last election and speaking to the pole workers who worked at the actual highrises, the percentage they said of people that voted that lived in that high-rise was
so much lower than the traffic coming in. So the traffic people will be happier, I think, because there were times when Kathy and I had difficulty looking for a pocket space, even though we do have those selected areas, but they were And one of them was like the
Lturno. We went around that parking lot like five times. And I said to her, I think if I was a voter, you give up. She's like, I'll come back later. >> But in the highrises, the the ladies that we spoke to were like, you know, are you getting, you know, big and
they're like it's mostly walk-ins who are who don't live in the high-rise. So >> yeah, which was surprising. I don't think they'll be so effective if you wanted to. >> You know, that's um I mean, the dynamics of the populations at certain housing authority locations has definitely changed over the past couple of decades. It's changed significantly from one
location to the other. I mean, there have been calls coming into the office where, you know, voters again, if someone pulled in, this was a complaint that came in a couple of years ago, voters mistakenly pulling into cardas, you know, just to drop off an elderly parent, for example, to walk into the location. And then voters, I'm not
sorry, residents who live there would get confrontational with that person and all they wanted to do was basically let their parent out to vote or mistakenly they pulled into the lot not realizing they could not park there and confrontations would happen. Um Julen Apartments, my precinct warden who is now one of my clerks, um the police
officer said, "Just park behind my car. Nobody's going to bother you." My pole workers had to park across the street in the private lot. and voters again the same kind of complaints that you're just kind of talking about where the complaints coming in for a long time about these locations because a city in many locations is so densely populated
where it's few and far between where parking was available. Blessed Trinity was one and Father Rob has been a godsend when it comes to a partnership and then you know a cuss middle school where you had worked for a number of years as as a precinct warden again when school is not heavily in session on that side of the parking lot. It's great for
voters. Um, but like all of our apartments, I mean, it was it was almost as bad as like Bishop Eid over on Cricket Street. There was nowhere for voters to park. And again, if you parked in a lot in somebody's space by mistake, >> you know, words were being thrown out
there. The police officer would would tell me stories about having to go outside and it was just >> it was just getting frustrating after all. That's when I knew some of these consolidations that should have been made quite some time ago had to take place. And it's not just a matter of, you know, the building right there and people who live there, but I'm like,
it's there are 2,300 registered voters in that precinct. How are we going to accommodate everybody who wants to get to a polling location on election day and right down the street in Cus Middle School? Is that separate room unto itself, easily accessible to the general public with a parking lot? That should
be the voting center for that section of the city. And then Good Shepard, enough said. between the size of the parking lot and um the the sheer size of that hall and actually I never realized how big it was and it's my home parish >> and then we clear the entire hall out
and I said oh my god look at all this space that we're wasting >> back you can three more precincts >> I can believe I mean just in case like if something happened there's always a fall back provision for if something happened with cuss for example which again they're wonderful over there the building custodians have everything set
set up and ready to go for us they are fantastic Marlene knows. Um, but just in case, I mean, we do have, you know, great partners throughout the city. >> Um, so I'm happy with the consolidations and just in case there's always a a fall back emergency if we have to, but in
certain sections of the city. So, we'll see what's going to go forward. And >> now you can all park and visit everybody. And do not forget to bring my pole workers snacks on election day. We had this conversation last time, you know, in a jestful way, of course. But, you know, when you make your rounds, please do so. Um it's September 1st is
the state primary and then November 3rd. Um again, I'm just very optimistic that the turnout is going to be bigger than what we saw the past couple of midterm elections, state elections. So should be very exciting all around. And then I'm just kind of curious about just to make the public aware with that two-page
double-sided ballot. Um, if you're voting early by mail, you will have to return the entire thing, even if you decide not to vote one portion of it because the tabulators, you know, are going to be programmed to read a two-page ballots. And if you think back to 2022 and everybody here was involved
with that process, we had the dual election. So, the city is already accommodated to the idea of having two ballots being handed to them, but it's not, you know, two separate elections. It's one because we had the state election in 22 and then we had the special municipal election. um for the MBTA zoning. That was a very, you know,
that was quite a daunting election, but thankfully we had that. So, it kind of gets the public's mind wrapped around the fact that they were handed, you know, two separate um placards, two separate ballot cards. Um and it's going to be like that this time because we're looking at, as of right now, the secretary has certified 12 referendum
questions. So, I think 11 have been are official. One, I think, is being challenged if I'm not mistaken. But the voter guide is probably going to look like this in your mailbox. Just as a heads up, we had my my county clerk association meeting and director
Tessinary was down and she's like, "It's going to be interesting trying to find enough glue to from a vendor that can actually glue all the bindings together because the voter guides, the red voter guides are great tools for the public to have." >> Our mind very, >> you know, like 60 pages,
>> you know, the voter guide, it's like a phone book is coming out. Um, so because you know, the voter guides are fantastic. you know, every race on the ballot, you have all 12 or 11 to 12 questions on there, the full summation, a pro and con statement, the entire text of the statute. Um, so voters have a lot of homework to do, and we'll have this
conversation again um before November's election definitely. Um, but the voter guide, that's going to be very interesting going forward. But just so you know, that's everything in a nutshell for the 26 the 2026 election cycle and um definitely um for the the proposed designation of our polling
locations for um 2026. So, any questions about anything at all, commissioners? >> No. >> Okay. All righty. Thank you for enduring that long monologue that I had a lot I wanted to make sure that I presented to you and to the public.
>> I know we need to meet again to vote on the actions from city council. >> Um, we do not. That's their decision. >> Okay. So, we don't have to do anything. >> I will definitely schedule another meeting probably um maybe between September and November. I definitely want to have the conversation about November's election because again, as I
just mentioned kind of um roughly with a two-page double-sided ballot, a voter guide that is going to be the size of a phone book. Um I definitely want to make the public aware of what is forthcoming. Okay? Because a lot there's going to be a lot more education um coming out about um November's election, all the questions voters going to be making
decisions on. It's going to be a pretty taxing election, especially with the early voters by mail. Um you may not want to vote for the second page if you don't want to. It's your choice, but you're going to have to return it. It's almost going to be tandamount to you ripping a ball in half. And this, you know, both precinct wardens over here and Kathy who works me during advanced
processing knows that, you know, well, we can handc count the half of it, but then, you know, we can't run that through a tabulator. The machine's going to be programmed to accept, you know, two page two separate pages for this election. >> And if somebody doesn't return page two, is there vote
>> void? In that case, as you know, you're g the ballots would have to be handc counted and that second page there would be blanks all the way. >> Usually at the precinct go, where's the other one, you know, and then they go like, oh, I didn't fill it out. It's like, go get it, >> you know. Yes. So, it's almost like that with the dual elections. No, no, I know you don't want to, but you got to bring
that one over. You can't leave it there. >> Mail it. We don't have control over, >> you know. So, and the by mail thing, especially when it comes to the ballots being sent, advanced processing is one thing. We capture everything right then and there, but the ballots being sent to the polls. I know the questions that my wardens and clerks are going to have for me. Like, Ryan, I have a ballot here
that, you know, is either torn in half or it's missing a page. What do I do? And definitely during my orientation with them, it's going to be, well, we can handc count >> whatever has been submitted, but everything else, as you know, is going to be an undervote. It's going to be counted as a blank. Um but just to make the public aware that's when I have
another another commission meeting to have another fuller conversation for everybody's um education um to really understand what is forthcoming and we'll know basically what questions if one has been locked off if one went through a legal challenge if one is going to be pushed off until 2028 fantastic um but
still at this point with you know this many questions it's going on to a second page at a minimum it's it's unavoidable but I do want to you know definitely talk about this >> questions have you seen Oh, wait. The interesting thing is we start certifying all the petitions for
the referendum questions for this year in the middle of the municipal election. So, we were sitting under stacks of paper and then we had to postpone that during the election. It got pushed off even longer during the recount. Um, so I barely had the chance to kind of look at with the petitions before. Looking at
them now, I know one is regard to a tax rate question. There are two election related questions which are going to be very interesting why I want to talk about the questions going forward. One would um be an um all-inclusive state primary ballot. So rather than the voters having the option of the
Republican primary ballot or the Democratic primary ballot, it would look just like our preliminary election ballot. All the candidates regardless of their political affiliation would be on one ballot and then the the top two vote getters would advance on to the state election. So, that is going to be one
question that is going to be on the ballot this year. Um, which actually, amazingly, a lot of voters are still confused by the primary process. Either they're rushing to the office because they still remember the old independent days and want to register with the political party thinking they cannot vote in the state primary. And that I
still think in the back of my mind, does that stop voters from going to vote in the state primary because like, oh, son of a gun, I forgot to register as a Republican. Now, I can't vote in the Republican primary and I don't want voters to think that. I'm like, no, you most certainly can because you're unenrolled. you have a choice. Oh, I didn't know that. So, I still think
sometimes a vot is called saying, "Wow, you know, I really, really like, you know, candidate X in the Democratic primary. I like candidate Y in the Republican primary." That's a tough decision. I have this conversation with my mother every election because she's unenrolled and she likes certain candidates. She really is not now when
she wants to vote in September or in March, she's like, "I really have to make up my mind now." She's like, "You do. That's a real responsibility that we give to unenrolled voters." Um, so for a lot of people it's like, you know, and I've heard this before, you know, why don't we do it like our preliminary election where everybody is on one
ballot and the top two vote getters, and they do this actually in California, it's a jungle primary that they kind of modeled after Louisiana where the top two vote getters just move on to November. I'm like, interesting idea, but that's way above my pay grade, but but that's going to be one election question. The other one that is actually
sponsored by Secretary Galin himself um is about election day voter registration. Um, so that should be interesting. Um, I got to take a look at that and then if it's passed, the secretary will write the regulations of how I would implement that locally. Um, so there are two election related questions. There's the tax rate
question. Um, and I I'm drawing a blank on the others. That's why we're definitely going to have I got so much my mind right now with this. Um, but we're definitely going to have, you know, another conversation about what's going to be in the bread voter guide, what braces are going to be on the ballot. um and definitely the referendums um heading into November's
election right after the state primary election. So nominees are in place and then we can turn to um this year's big state election. Okay. All right. Fantastic. All right, commissioners with no other questions. Okay. Can I get a motion to adjurnn?
>> Motion to adjurnn. >> Okay. Motion made by Commissioner Campos and Can I get a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Commissioner Santos. I got to watch when I say those two names. All those in favor >> I I we are adjourned.