A full-time Election Commissioner in the City Clerk’s office could help improve voter registration in the city and free up the clerk’s office to take care of more services for residents, according to City Clerk Jeannette Cintron White and City Manager Thomas Ambrosino.
During City Council subcommittee budget hearings last week, White and Ambrosino presented their case for adding the $60,000 per year position in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.
“This is an effort to grow the office in a very important role,” said White. “It is to put greater focus on elections, and it stems from the changes of 2020 and the efforts the state was trying to make for expanding early voting, the vote by mail, and their future efforts of either Election Day registration or same-day voter registration.”
White also noted the longer, two-week period of early voting that took place in 2020.
“I also wanted to focus on increasing voter participation, to lower barriers for those who don’t speak English first,” she said. “We do have about 16,000 registered voters, but our census shows over 40,000 residents.”
In addition to being in charge of all aspects of elections, such as training poll workers and campaign finance law filings, White said the position would also be able to provide some backup to the busy Clerk’s office.
“It’s really just an effort to grow the office,” White said. “I see Revere and Somerville and they have this position, and there is just so much that can be done there.”
District 1 City Councilor Todd Taylor asked about how the Election Commissioner would remain impartial during elections, and if it would be required that the person filling the position be an unenrolled voter.
“I think it would be appropriate, seeing that someone who runs elections should go above and beyond and demonstrate they are impartial and unbiased and fair,” said Taylor. “Being unenrolled doesn’t necessarily give you that, but I think whoever is put into that position needs to be. I know that if somebody wasn’t that I would strenuously object.”
Ambrosino said there are measures to help make sure the elections are impartial, but said the Election Commissioner position is a union position that does not have a requirement that candidates be unenrolled.
“I would be a little wary of making that a condition of the job,” said Ambrosino, stating that it could limit the pool of candidates as well as eliminate a qualified candidate who might be enrolled in one of the political parties.
“I don’t want to commit that that will be a requirement of the position, but I hear your point,” said Ambrosino.
Taylor said he would like to see some sort of listing of how the city would ensure that a commissioner would be impartial.
“We’re in politics and we know how things work,” said Taylor. “This is a very real question and I’m not just up here bloviating, this is real, and I think everybody, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat or unenrolled … you want elections to be fair and impartial.”
Taylor also touched on the need for additional help in the City Clerk’s office, noting that there are often lines down the hallway of people trying to get business done at the clerk’s office.
“We are sitting on a pile of free cash and we are anticipating more free cash at the end of the year,” said Taylor. “I would hope you might consider adding an additional person to the clerk’s office so we can really try to get a handle on the customer service aspect of citizens coming in here every day and having to wait.”
Ambrosino said the Election Commissioner should free up other people in the department to take on other tasks, since much of the work is already spread out between employees in the clerk’s office.
As a union position, Ambrosino said the commissioner job will be posted within City Hall before being posted to all potential applicants.
“You are looking at filling a position that … has to make sure all candidates file their campaign finance reports on time, be knowledgeable of that calendar, train poll workers and know the ins and outs of election law,” Council President Roy Avellaneda.
In addition, the candidate would be expected to manage the voting lists and participate in an active voter registration campaign.
“You think that maybe you will find the person who has done this in this building and you’re not going to try to find somebody who has done that sort of work outside?” Avellaneda asked Ambrosino.
Ambrosino said it is his obligation under the union contract to give internal candidates a week to apply.
“That is what we are mandated to do, and that is what we will do,” he said. “Do I expect to find someone? I have to keep an open mind because that is my requirement under the union contract; if we don’t, we will go out to the market.”
Ultimately, Ambrosino said it is likely that the city may find someone who has worked in another clerk’s office who has some election experience and is looking for a new position or challenge.