Lines For Voters In MA, Some Electioneering, But Mostly Smooth

BOSTON — During the first half of Election Day the biggest issue election watchers saw at polls across the commonwealth were excessively long lines. There was also a few improper requests for identification at some polls and a few instances of electioneering, according to poll watchers.

But for the most part, independent poll watchers said issues that came up were dealt with swiftly.

"Today has been very smooth in Massachusetts," said Common Cause executive director Pam Wilmot, who is part of Massachusetts affiliates of the Election Protection Coalition. "There have been issues that we have been dealing with, as we do every election, but given the volume, given the contentiousness of this election and given the nerves that have been frayed to the bone, it has been a very good day."

Wimot said she doesn't expect that to change in the last three hours of the election.

Before Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office said nearly 49 percent of registered voters had already cast ballots during early and mail-in voting. Local and state election officials expect that when all the votes are tallied voter turnout will exceed that of 2016. With large numbers voting, come the possibility for issues.

The Election Protection Coalition is a non-partisan group made up of some 2,000 volunteers. It maintains a hotline to help monitor polling place problems and has volunteers stationed at polling places across the state. In the first two hours of Election Day, more than 200 people called the hotline, according to Wilmot. The number increased throughout the day.

While the coalition is also watching election issues — from polling machines not working in a whole county in Georgia to curbside voting in North Carolina not working — across the state, the main issue in Massachusetts has been the lines, especially in Boston.

"We’ve always had issues with long lines in Massachusetts, but those are being enhanced with the fact that we’re also trying to deal with special safety protocols," said Lawyers for Civil Rights supervising attorney Sophia Hall.

At its peak right after the polls opened at 7 a.m., there were lines with as many as 175 people, with voters waiting north of 45 minutes, according to Hall, who said those were mostly at locations where there were multiple precincts housed at a single building as a polling place.

There were also a couple of reports of confusion over voter identification requirements that the group watched early on.

"We are seeing some improper request for Voter ID," Hall said.

In Massachusetts there's an expanded definition for what constitutes identification and there are limited ways to ask for it, she said. In Lawrence and the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain the coalition received a handful of reports that poll workers are requesting IDs, disproportionately targeting Latinos. Those seemed to be resolved by 4 p.m., she said.

Other issues that arose throughout the day at the polling sites across the state included reports of someone wearing Black Lives Matter mask being told they could not enter a polling location with that mask on. There were also a number of reports of people wearing Trump paraphernalia being permitted to vote, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights.

Lawyers for Civil Right said they got a number of reports from Seekonk, Ware, Hubbardston, Dartmouth, North Adams, Palmer and North Attleboro about Trump electioneering.

The coalition and Lawyers for Civil Rights both said they received multiple reports of people driving around polling sites in those communities in trucks with Trump flags and signs along with Trump supporters congregating and shouting right outside of polling sites.

That is only illegal if they come within the 150 feet of the election site.

In Springfield and Lawrence there were a few reports of confusion surrounding people who had requested mail-in ballots but changed their minds and wanted to vote in person. Those were resolved, according to the coalition.

"People who requested but who did not receive mail-in ballots are improperly being blocked from voting in person in certain polling sites. Similarly, people whose mail-in ballots were never received — or whose mail-in ballots were rejected — by election officials are also improperly being blocked from voting in person in certain polling sites," Lawyers for Civil Rights said in a statement.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. And anyone who is in line at 8 p.m. can vote, officials have said.

Patch is partnering with ProPublica’s Electionland project to report on problems voters encounter at the polls on Nov. 3 and we want to know if you see any shenanigans. Here’s how you can report what you see to Electionland:

• SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 850-909-8683.
• Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland

Or submit this form: