Here’s a look at the issues that cropped up at Mass. polls on Election Day
A man was arrested in Barnstable for allegedly shoving another man who was holding a sign for President Donald Trump.
As if to reflect the tense atmosphere across the country during 2020’s still-undecided election, Massachusetts voters faced some — although not widespread — challenges when they headed to the polls on Tuesday.
Despite many people using the state’s mail-in and early voting options prior to Election Day, many residents headed to the polls on Tuesday.
And with that came some issues that cropped up throughout the day.
According to Lawyers for Civil Rights, which helped to coordinate roughly 2,000 “election protection poll monitors,” there were “just under 600 calls and inquiries from voters on Election Day and leading up to the election,” an email from the advocacy group says.
“The majority reported incidents such as long lines, broken machines, inadequate signage, and inaccessibility for people with disabilities and non-English speakers,” according to the email. “While serious, many of these concerns have been present in past elections we have monitored.”
However, there were a number of things the advocacy group said were different this time around.
“Much more aggressive” electioneering was seen in some areas, especially in smaller communities “often featuring Trump supporters in trucks,” the email said.
“Anti-Asian racist and xenophobic voter intimidation took place in at least two polling sites in Lowell, MA,” according to the email. “Lawyers for Civil Rights and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office intervened in real-time to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.”
State officials also addressed a few instances of people wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts or masks being denied entrance to the polls, noting that BLM isn’t a political campaign and therefore not a reason to deny someone poll access.
Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office also released a statement on an incident like this.
“Our state laws do not allow any campaign material to be exhibited in a polling place if it appears to promote or oppose a candidate or question on the ballot in that polling place,” his office said in the statement obtained by MassLive. “While there are some towns with non-binding questions relating to Black Lives Matter-related topics, there is no such question on the ballots in Hanson.”
There was also some “confusion” over mail-in ballots, Lawyers for Civil Rights said. Galvin noted in a Wednesday press conference that his office received “a couple of calls” from voters in Lawrence who had requested mail-in ballots but decided to vote in person instead. Initially, the election worker had said the voters needed to have brought their mail-in ballots with them, but the Lawrence City Clerk’s office cleared that up.
“I don’t believe any person was unable to vote,” Galvin said. “They were given the opportunity to vote.”
When describing mail-in voting overall, Galvin said officials have learned “small administrative things” from the election, such as using “very specific criteria” for using drop-off boxes. He said he plans to meet with a group of clerks and other officials to discuss a “best practices plan” when it comes to mail-in voting as well as potential changes to the state’s election laws to be sent to the state Legislature.
“I’m very proud of the effort that took place yesterday,” he said. “I think we had a very good day in Massachusetts and we had a very good day on Sept. 1 and we had a very good day back on March 3. But you learn going forward.”
There was an instance of a 69-year-old man holding a sign for President Donald Trump being shoved and yelled at by a man in Barnstable.
Bladen Tisdell, 32, of Cotuit, was arrested and is facing charges of assault and battery on a person over 60 and disorderly conduct, according to WBZ. Police were sent to the Precinct 5 polling location at the Osterville Fire Station at about 2 p.m. for a report of a fight.
Along with shoving the man, Tisdell also allegedly grabbed his Trump sign and threw it.
Tisdell appeared in court Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance, the news station reported. He’s scheduled to return to court on Jan. 11.
Man Who Allegedly Assaulted Trump Supporter At Barnstable Polls Pleads Not Guilty https://t.co/kCuT5Kupf6 pic.twitter.com/ZsKT1OPIK2
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) November 4, 2020
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