← Finance Committee · 2024-01-22 · Finance Committee Meeting
ORDER-2024-18 : Calling a Presidential Primary Election Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School gymnasium complex
Agenda original PDF
Minutes original PDF
ORDER-2024-18 Calling Election Calling a Presidential Primary Election Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School gymnasium complex Ought to Pass City Council
Transcript
▶ 6:32 Speaker 1: Order 2024 dash 18, calling a presidential primary election Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Melrose Veterans Middle Middle School gymnasium complex.
▶ 6:47 Robb Stewart: So, I, I two requests to the committee. Um, I believe we have someone that can speak. Uh, so I would entertain a motion to suspend Rule 37 A
▶ 6:58 Speaker 4: So moved.
▶ 7:05 Robb Stewart: Second. We have a motion to suspend Rule 37 A made by Council Williams seconded by President under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay. We're, we're under suspension of rules. So Madam Clerk, if you wish to come forward
▶ 7:26 Speaker 5: Evening.
▶ 7:29 Robb Stewart: So we have this, uh, order before us. This is for the election that's happening on Tuesday, March 5th. Um, are there any questions by the committee for
▶ 7:42 Speaker 2: Madam Clerk,
▶ 7:46 Robb Stewart: vice Chair, uh, Vanderberg,
▶ 7:48 Kimberly Vandiver: Um, uh, to the point that was raised, if, um, the city council were to opt to adopt additional polling locations for this election, what would be the deadline to do something like that?
▶ 7:59 Speaker 5: So we have about five weeks receiving vote by mail postcards. Now, I'm anticipating ballots in the next couple of weeks to shift to polling locations, you would need the au author, the authorization of the state. This is a state election, but to move polling locations in general, they're state guideline driven. Um, so we would need you, you'd need to put a, uh, some kind of committee together or through the chair, however you would, the finance department would work with state officials. Our legal department, we put on whatever election the city council would put forward in compliance with state law. So that's working with the Secretary of the Commonwealth Election Division. Okay. Thanks. Sure.
▶ 8:42 Robb Stewart: Anybody else in the
▶ 8:48 Speaker 2: committee? Constable Williams.
▶ 8:49 Ryan Williams: Um, I just wanted to reiterate the question that Councilor Vandiver asked. Do you have a sense of the actual deadline that An order like that would need to be filed before?
▶ 8:58 Speaker 5: So I'm anticipating thinking locations, accessibility. Yeah. Um, I would not know what, how long of a deadline the state would need to approve something like that. That's something that would, that that team of people that would have to look into. Okay. I The five weeks is a quick turnaround time to do a March 5th
▶ 9:19 Speaker 4: Election. Yeah. Understood.
▶ 9:20 Speaker 5: In, in whatever multiple locations the committee decides they wanna put forward the council, excuse me. The committee Council. Yeah.
▶ 9:27 Speaker 4: Thank you. Sure.
▶ 9:32 Speaker 2: Thank you.
▶ 9:34 Robb Stewart: Uh, as, uh, many of you may have seen, uh, for the chair to address, uh, any opinion or ask any questions we would need to suspend Rule 21 C or we would need to relieve the chair for the vice chair. So at this time, I would entertain a motion to suspend Rule 21 C.
▶ 9:58 Speaker 4: Second. Oh, so moved. Sorry. Okay, second.
▶ 10:02 Robb Stewart: So, uh, we have a motion to sip, suspend Rule 21 C, uh, made by Councilor Roal, uh, seconded by Council Occhio, oh, I'm sorry. Feno, uh, by Fond ofr vice chair fond her my apologies. Under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay. So we are un we are under, um, suspension of Rule 21 C. So, um, I would just like to state for the record that as I've stated before, while you know that I am opposed to a single voting location, I do not want to vote against this because I want to see an election process going forward. Um, for the council and for the public, I have reached out to understand what is necessary to look into having multiple voting locations that is under process right now. It's not simple, as I understand, it's fairly complex. We have to get state legal involved. Um, but that is in the early stages. So it is being considered. Um, I will continue to support this, but still object to the fact we have one location.
▶ 11:12 Robb Stewart: So President Elli.
▶ 11:14 Speaker 5: Thank you. Um, just wanna clarify for the public this particular order to call a presidential primary election. Um, and just if you could clarify, clerk foot is, is not really an option. We have to call a public. I mean, a primary Yeah. State law requires a warrant to be issued for the location to, to notify residents where the location is are and the time on that date. 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM It's not an option. It's also the three elections this year are state elections. The locals have absolutely nothing to do with the state elections in terms of, um, warrants, locations are something that you would look into. But calling the warrants the dates and hours, that's by mass general law. Right. And if, and just further, if, as you said, and just to put a finer point on it to, um,
▶ 12:04 Leila Migliorelli: a council, a council member would have to put down an order to change, um, to change location. But that would have to be done in con consultation with the state. So one could put down an order, it could end up being illegal. You have to kind of go through that due process. And as we know, orders come down in a council meeting, get sent to committee, go back to council. So you're talking at least like six week process to just do that once you're approved to, to. So just be clear for the public, this isn't something that could be changed anyways for March. Um, and, uh, the next one after that would be September. Yeah. Okay. The Elections Division will put on whatever locations the city council has put forth in compliance to the state law.
▶ 12:43 Robb Stewart: Thank you. Sure. Thank you for that clarification. What is the will of the committee? Are there, well, first, are there any further questions?
▶ 12:51 Speaker 2: What is the will of the committee
▶ 12:58 Speaker 3: Motion?
▶ 12:59 Speaker 5: A motion for passage. A motion, yeah. Passage based on file. Sorry.
▶ 13:05 Robb Stewart: So we have a motion for to recommend for passage made by President Elli. Do we have a second? We'll, second. Second. By Councilor Romanul, under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Okay.