The City Council voted down a resolution by Councilor Ed Flynn looking to limit early voting and extend the Boston Election Department’s State Receivership into the 2028 presidential election.

This comes after an incident over the weekend in which three voters at the Condon Community Center were given ballots that did not correspond to their district – showing State Senator Lydia Edwards rather than Nick Collins. The Election Department immediately corrected the error and identified it as an isolated human error. All three voters were able to cast their correct ballot.

Flynn argued that following these errors, the City should only offer in-person early voting in one’s own district and at City Hall, and state receivership should be extended while a thorough investigation is conducted to ensure no other incorrect ballots were distributed for early or mail-in voting.

“When we allow residents to vote at every location throughout the entire City and outside of their own District, and, at the same time, ask our poll workers at each location to administer ballots for every District and election in the City – we only increase the chances of incidents where human error can occur when a poll worker provides the wrong ballot,” he said.

Collins shared Flynn’s frustration, stating that the error was unconscionable and should not be dismissed. 

“I am calling for a full review of the entire process to determine the extent of these failures, including whether the same ballot issues may have impacted vote-by-mail ballots that have already been distributed or returned,” he said in a statement. “Boston voters deserve to know they have the correct ballot, that our democratic process is protected, and that their fundamental right to vote has been upheld.”

Boston has been in receivership since 2025, following a ballot shortage during the 2024 presidential election, putting the Election Department under the formal oversight of the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Council President Liz Breadon opposed the resolution, stating it was an isolated incident and there is no evidence of a systemic failure or widespread error in Boston’s early voting systems.

“At a moment when election misinformation is rampant, we should be careful not to amplify false alarms or suggest Boston’s elections are in crisis. The facts do not support that conclusion,” she said.

Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune added that she wholeheartedly disagrees with limiting access to early voting and that the City should instead expand access to the ballot box by implementing same-day voter registration.

“It’s really, really important  for us to be doing everything we can, especially as the right to vote is under assault in so many ways by the federal government. We need to be expanding access to early voting, not retreating from that. We need to be making it possible for everyone to vote,” Loujeune said.

The resolution failed 2-to-7 with only Flynn and Councilor Erin Murphy voting in favor. Councilor Miniard Culpepper voted present, and frequent Flynn ally Councilor John FitzGerald joined the rest of the body in opposing the resolution.