Medford 8-2 Polling Place Decided After 'All Lives Matter' Flap

MEDFORD, MA – The Medford City Council has moved the polling location for Ward 8, Precinct 2 for the second time since removing it from the VFW in August. The council voted unanimously this week to move the polling place to the South Medford Fire Station, according to the Medford Transcript.

The council moved the polling place to the senior center in August amid controversy over the VFW's "All Lives Matter" banner. The NAACP renewed calls to remove the sign ahead of the upcoming 2018 election, arguing that it constituted a political sign and was inappropriate for a polling place.

"The All Lives Matter slogan has been used as a way to attempt to silence and refute the Black Lives Matter movement," Mystic Valley NAACP President Zane Crute wrote in a letter to city officials. "Moreover, All Lives Matter turns a blind eye to the epidemic of police brutality and lack of legal accountability for the police officers across the United States who have repeatedly used lethal force in non-life-threatening situations against communities of color."

The letter asked that the banner be "covered or taken down" on Election Day or the polling location be moved.

In 2016, the NAACP sought the removal of the banner ahead of the presidential election. The VFW refused, with the post's quartermaster Earl Ercoline telling the Medford Transcript, "[the banner]'s not trying to hurt somebody. It's not putting anybody down."

The new polling location will take effect ahead of the November midterms.

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