Boston Election Department Cites State Cost-Sharing for $544,000 Budget Cut in Midterm Year

BOSTON — May 14, 2026 — Boston Election Department defends $544,000 budget cut as state picks up midterm printing costs. The City Council's Ways and Means Committee reviewed the Election Department's fiscal year 2027 operating budget Thursday, with acting department head Paul Chong and head assistant registrar of voters Sabino Piamonte explaining that a year-over-year decrease of roughly $544,000 reflects the state's responsibility for ballot printing, mail, and machine programming costs in the 2026 state election cycle. Chong reported that electronic poll pads were deployed without connectivity issues at all 274 precincts during the November 2025 municipal election, with call-center staff answering poll worker calls in under seven seconds on average. Councillor Liz Breadon pressed on three vacant program manager positions, with Chong saying he is "very confident" they will be filled before the September 1 primary. Councillors also flagged aging voting machines — purchased in 2019 and approaching their expected 10-to-12-year lifespan — and questioned whether procurement would need to account for a possible state shift to ranked-choice voting. The department's materials are translated into 11 languages, but Piamonte acknowledged there is no budget for paid advertising outreach: "There is no budget for that. We just go and talk to them at their station."