Teen, Non-Citizen Voters May Be Included In Somerville Elections

SOMERVILLE, MA – A recent report by the Somerville Clean and Open Elections Task Force includes 16 recommendations for future municipal elections – including lowering the voting age to 16 and expanding voting to non-citizens. At the request of Mayor Curtatone, the Board of Aldermen will debate seeking home rule petitions from the state to expand voting rights for city and school board elections.

The eight-person task force was convened to "look at root causes and take a systems approach to ensure fair, equitable, and open elections that inspire greater participation both by voters and candidates," according to a city press release. It is comprised of six residents, as well as Ward 2 Alderman J.T. Scott and Elections Commissioner Nick Salerno.

The group’s recommendations include:

• Consolidate elections so that municipal elections are held at the same time as state elections.
• Coordinate and/or encourage non-partisan Election Day festivities—including free food and drink, music, and more—at or nearby polling places.
• Design a mechanism for Somerville’s election officials (chair and members of the Board of Election Commissioners) to reach out to voters to encourage participation in every election.
• Encourage the state to adopt electronic poll books allowing subsequent implementation of voting centers and same day registration.
• Relocate polling places to sites that are more likely to ensure that all voters feel safe and welcome (i.e., avoid locations such as police stations and houses of worship).
• Expand suffrage rights via home rule petition and/or state legislation as necessary.
• Increase the City’s commitment to the civic education of young people by adopting a robust civics education curriculum and developing ways to involve high school age students in the civic life of the community.
• Increase availability of election-related data and incorporate into Somerville’s Key System Indicators.
• Publish and distribute comprehensive voter guides to ensure voters have access to complete, accurate, and unbiased election information.
• Take action to increase the transparency of political ad purchasing online.
• Adopt ranked choice voting for all municipal elections and support the adoption of ranked choice voting at the state level.
• Align with new federal guidelines to allow spending of campaign funds on child and elder care expenses incurred as a direct result of time spent on campaigning.
• Create and implement a public financing model for municipal elections.
• Increase the proactive dissemination of information regarding all aspects of elected positions in the city: Mayor, Board of Aldermen, and School Committee, including the role and responsibilities of each and how to run for elected office.

According to Somerville officials, six other Massachusetts communities – Cambridge, Brookline, Amherst, Newton, Wayland and Boston – have considered policies regarding non-citizens. Two Maryland communities, Takoma Park and Hyattsville, have lowered their voting ages and Takoma Park has allowed non-citizen residents to vote in municipal elections since 1992, officials said in a press release.

In a statement, Curtatone said:

"The Task Force has done its work, and now the community must begin ours. That starts with what I hope will be rigorous debate by the Board and public hearings on expanding voting access for City and School Committee elections. To be clear, I have my own opinions on this. We have teenagers whom our courts consider adults, yet they are told they are too young for the voting booth. And we have dedicated parents and engaged neighbors who, because they lack citizenship at the national level, can’t vote at the local level. I’d argue our community will be stronger when our youth learn early that it matters if they participate, when all our parents have a voice, and when all our neighbors are heard. But I also respect that this is an issue with opposing views. It’s time though that we start that conversation."

The additional 14 proposals include non-legislative suggestions with expected positive outcomes, such as holding Election Day festivities near polling places to increase voter turnout. The report cites two studies that show increases of up to 7 percentage points as a result of such events.

Other proposals that require a longer legislative process could boost voter participation, such as holding municipal elections in the same years as state elections, which the report found could increase turnout as much as two-fold.

"Voter participation is at the core of our democracy, and the Elections Commissions takes its duty to facilitate participation with the utmost seriousness," Salerno said in a statement. "We look forward to getting started on the recommendations that can be implemented immediately, such as expanded informational materials for voters and candidates. And we’re inspired by the forward-thinking that the Task Force has now put on the table."

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