Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is urging calm on and after Election Day, especially in the very possible scenario that there is not a clear winner in the presidential race by Wednesday or later.
Walsh is also reminding any residents voting in person to continue to observe safety measures around the coronavirus, including wearing masks and standing at least six feet apart from others.
Acknowledging heightened anxiety over the election, Walsh reiterated assurances that there are no known threats to public safety in Boston or anywhere in the commonwealth, and said the city is prepared to ensure a peaceful election and a safe public environment in the days and weeks that follow.
To that end, Walsh and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said that while they welcome lawful and civil demonstrations from across the political spectrum, acts of voter intimidation or any other lawlessness will not be tolerated, and the Boston Police Department is prepared to deploy quickly and aggressively in the case such incidents arise.
“I want to make it clear that voter intimidation is against the law and it won't be tolerated,” Walsh said.
“Also, I'm asking voters to respect the views of the people that might be standing there for different candidates, [to] respect their opinion as well.”
Gross said the BPD will be deploying a significant police presence throughout the city.
“We want you to be comfortable in the fact that the Boston Police Department will be covering all polling sites,” Gross said, noting that state law allows police officers to be present inside polling places, as well as outside.
“We want everyone to know that we also have coverage for the neighborhoods, places of worship, schools, hospitals – you will see us out there.”
The enhanced presence of law enforcement and other public safety officials, Gross said, is simply “for the assurance that everybody is able to exercise their vote freely.”
Walsh also sought to reassure the public that while this may be an unusual election year, that should not erode faith in the integrity of the voting process, in Boston or nationally.
“We should not be surprised if we don't hear a clear national result tomorrow night or Wednesday morning or for several days. That does not mean that the voting process is broken or compromised in any way,” Walsh said.
The mayor noted that while he expects election results will be clear for Boston and Massachusetts relatively early, Boston and other cities, like communities around the country, will likely be counting absentee ballots for several days following the election.
“But I want to make it clear that mail-in ballots do not fundamentally change the process or cause a problem” in election results, Walsh said. “They are handled like traditional absentee ballots. That's how we've always counted the votes of the military members and those people that are voting from overseas or out of state and the process of counting and certifying election results always takes a number of days before the election.”
