Bill > H841

This bill grants 16 and 17-year-old residents of Boston the ability to vote in municipal elections, despite being too young to vote under current state law. Under this legislation, these younger residents can apply to have their names added to a special voter registration list maintained by the Boston board of election commissioners, specifically for local elections and ballot questions. These "local voters" will be on a separate registration list and will need to complete a special registration form created by the election board. When these individuals turn 18, they will be removed from the local voter list and advised to register as regular voters according to state guidelines. The bill explicitly states that these local voters cannot vote in state or federal elections, and it authorizes the City of Boston to create ordinances to implement the new voting provisions. The board of election commissioners is empowered to create regulations, guidelines, and forms to support this new voting mechanism, and if a local ballot question appears on a state election ballot, the board must print a separate ballot for local voters at the city's expense.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H841