Secretary Of State Galvin Takes Control Of Elections In Lawrence And Lowell

Secretary of State Galvin announced today that he will take direct control of the election offices in the cities of Lawrence and Lowell.

Maggie Penman is a reporter for WGBH News. Prior to joining WGBH, she worked on NPR’s flagship show Morning Edition, reported on breaking news for the network, and helped launch the popular social science show Hidden Brain. Her reporting has taken her from the North Dakota Prairie to Berlin, Germany, to a tiny town in Japan called Obama. In 2017, she reported on the German elections as an Arthur F. Burns Fellow through the International Center for Journalists.

September 10, 2018

Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin has officially ordered a recount in the 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, where Lori Trahan leads Dan Koh by just 122 votes. Galvin also announced Monday that he will take control of elections in Lawrence and Lowell through November.

Galvin informed city officials in each town via letter, saying that the decision in Lawrence was because of the "imminent departure of the city’s only experienced elections specialist," while in Lowell he said it was a response to several administrative errors.

Anthony Amore, the Republican candidate for Secretary of State, put out a statement in response to the move, saying that Galvin's "past words and actions" call into question his credibility in overseeing elections. Galvin allegedly made an angry call to the Mayor of Lawrence, saying "I made you mayor" after he endorsed Galvin's opponent in the Democratic primary.

But Dan Rivera, the mayor of Lawrence, was quick to refute that theory, when reporters asked him if this was related to that controversy.

"We're going to bury the hatchet," Rivera told reporters Monday. "He's my Secretary of State and I think it'll be fine."

Rivera said the Secretary is showing leadership in a tough situation, referring to the close race between Trahan and Koh.

Galvin stressed the imporance of getting a final result as quickly as possible because the ballot for November can be printed.

"We want an accurate result, we want a transparent process, we want a uniform process throughout the district, and to that end, by bringing in the expertise from outside, I think we can accomplish that," Galvin told reporters.