    
Len Rideout
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Rideout
Post Number: 9
Registered: 06-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 1:58 pm: | 
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HEADS MAY ROLL OVER BALLOT BUNGLE
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By Michele McPhee
Boston Herald Police Bureau Chief
Thursday, November 9, 2006 - Updated: 02:03 PM EST
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said city staffers face “reassignment” as the state seeks legal oversight of Boston’s Elections Department after a ballot shortage forced police to make rush deliveries to angry voters at the polls.
“I am very, very angry. This should not have happened,” Menino told the Herald. “Will people be reassigned? It’s possible. We certainly need a management plan for the Elections Department.”
Secretary of State William Galvin told city officials he plans to utilize his legal right to manage the city Elections Department.
Meanwhile the mayor has said he will hire a consultant to “shake up” the department and file quarterly progress reports to Galvin.
The state printed more than 300,000 ballots for Hub voters, but just half those were delivered to polling locations, leaving largely minority strongholds such as East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester without enough ballots, infuriating voters who were forced to wait for hours to cast their ballots.
Some precinct wardens began handing English-speaking voters ballots printed in other languages, or told voters to leave their phone numbers and they would be called when there were ballots available. Officials estimate that 2.2 million people voted in Tuesday’s election. |
