During the Sept. 16 preliminary elections for Medford City Council, multiple Medford residents were told that they were no longer active voters on the voter roll. Massachusetts law requires cities to send a census every January, requiring all registered voters to confirm that their place of residence is accurate, with voters only being marked as active voters after the Medford Elections Commission receives the census. However, when some voters went to the polls in September, they were told they were inactive, despite having mailed the census.
Medford resident Josh Terrill went to vote in the preliminary elections when a poll worker told him that he had been marked as an inactive voter, even though he filled out and returned the census by mail.
“[A poll worker] said, ‘Look, the census is how we keep people on the active voter roll, but no problem. If you’re comfortable showing us your ID and marking down your address, you’re good to go,’“ Terrill said.
Medford resident Emily Sterling-Graves experienced a similar situation when her husband, William Graves, was told he was an inactive voter. The census requires only one household member to send the census on behalf of the entire family, so Sterling-Graves was surprised that she was an active voter, but her husband was marked as inactive.
“When we went there, my husband was told that he was inactive as a voter,” Sterling-Graves said. “He was asked for identification, which has never, ever happened before, and he hadn’t brought any identification.”
While Graves was eventually allowed to vote, Sterling-Graves expressed concern that other residents who did not have identification or proof of residence may have left polling stations without voting.
“I can’t say who ended up getting discouraged and left after being told that they needed to show ID,” Sterling-Graves said. “If it was just one thing that happened to my husband, I would have said it was a blip. But I understand from numerous sources that it was happening a lot. … It just really seemed very disorganized at best and something that would have the potential to prevent people from voting.”
James Blatchford, elections manager for the city of Medford, offered some reasons why residents may be marked as inactive prior to an election.
“No. 1 reason for being inactive is you did not fill out the census, or we did not get it back in this office, [which] is probably more accurate,” Blatchford said. “So if you did mail it, but it never got back to us, I can’t activate you because I need a physical signature.”
Blatchford also said that while an incomplete census form, incorrect address or unreturned mail could inactivate a voter, going to the polls to vote is the best way to ensure activation, as you would have to show proof of address. Once a person’s census is confirmed by the city, they are active for the remainder of the calendar year.
For residents who do not send the census back, the Medford Elections Commission sends a confirmation card notifying voters that they are no longer on the active voter roll. This provides residents with two chances to confirm their address prior to voting, and either one of these forms can be mailed to the elections commission or dropped off at Medford City Hall.
Terrill highlighted the importance of individuals taking the time to activate their status and to check their voting status on the website of the secretary of the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“It goes back to personal responsibility,” Terrill said. “I think the resources are there to find out if you’re an active voter.”
Blatchford emphasized that anyone who is registered to vote remains eligible to vote, and he reiterated the thorough work that the elections commission does prior to elections to verify voter registration.
“[Voters] don’t know the preparation time that it takes for my office to get ready, the packaging and preparation, getting things to go to the polls, the deep level of detail and checking that we do when a vote-by-mail ballot comes in,” he said.
Blatchford underlined the importance of trusting elections officials and the elections process to provide accurate information for residents and Medford officials.
“The more people feel comfortable with what happens in the elections office, the more ease they can have at the end of the day that we are reporting accurate results,” Blatchford said.
