BOSTON (WHDH) - Officials across Massachusetts said they are ready for a big turnout for Tuesday’s election, complete with some new technology to help keep lines moving and heightened security measures to keep poll workers and voters safe.
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said the state is prepared for a record turnout this year. About 1.7 million votes have already been cast in Massachusetts, and Galvin said he expects to see a significant number of new voters casting their ballots.
Galvin said that the state has stepped up security at polling locations in preparation for Tuesday.
“We have a police officer, by law, at every polling location. We’ve had training sessions with our election officials, our local election officials, over the last couple of months. We’ve discussed with them the types of situations they might confront,” Galvin said Monday.
“I’m not going to go into the details, but we are prepared. We have been prepared, and I think as I’ve already mentioned, we’ve already had an excellent dress rehearsal with the early voting sessions,” Galvin continued.
Clerks across the state are gearing up for the flood of voters, taking steps to keep voters calm and maintain the integrity of the election.
“When the polls open, there tends to be a line here in Stoneham, so you want to get them in and out as fast as possible,” said Stoneham Town Clerk Maria Sagarino.
For this presidential election, Stoneham poll workers are using a “poll pad” to check voters in using IDs. While it is voluntary to show a license at the polls in Massachusetts, Sagarino said it is more efficient than using manual logs and prevents any questions about people voting more than once.
In Worcester, the election commission is activating the city’s emergency communications center on Election Day, so that if any issues do arise, they can respond quickly. If a voting machine malfunctions, spare machines will be escorted by police for quick replacement.
In Everett Monday, voting signs were seen with both English and Spanish instructions. The ballots are in both languages, too.
Monitors from the Department of Justice will be in Everett and seven other communities in Massachusetts.
“They’re here just making sure that we have bilingual speakers, especially Spanish speakers, in each of the polling locations. Our signs are bilingual, we also use a phone app,” said Everett Town Clerk Sergio Cornelio.
Cornelio said the monitors will be making sure no voter is discriminated against just because they cannot speak English.
“Equal opportunity, equal access to voting so everyone that is a citizen of the United States — whether they speak English or any other language — have the right to vote tomorrow, as long as they registered in time,” he said.
He said he plans to keep a COVID-era glass panel up between the poll workers and the constituents as an extra level of security, as emotions ride high.
Election locations across Massachusetts will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can visit www.VoteInMA.com or call 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) to find your precinct and polling place.
Residents can also find sample ballots here. Information about this year’s specific ballot questions, as well as voting instructions, can be found in the 2024 Information for Voters booklet. Voters can also bring notes with them into the polling booth, according to the state.
“Your vote is your voice. Make sure it’s heard,” Governor Maura Healey said in a post on X.
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