Cambridge charter committee hears legal barriers to youth and non-citizen voting

CAMBRIDGE -- June 5, 2024, Cambridge's Government Operations Committee heard sweeping legal and logistical warnings about proposed charter changes, then adjourned without action. Acting City Solicitor Megan Bayer and First Assistant City Solicitor Elliot Viloso told the committee Wednesday that proposals to lower the voting age to 16 and allow non-citizen voting both conflict with state law and would require special state legislation, every prior attempt at which, including Cambridge home rule petitions in 2002, 2006, and 2020, has failed. Election Commission Executive Director Tanya Ford warned that moving municipal elections to even-numbered years would require separate ballots, separate tabulators, double the poll workers, and additional storage space the commission does not have, while the Secretary of State's office would oppose placing a local ballot on a state ballot. Committee Chair Paul Toner outlined six unresolved procedural questions, including vote threshold, meeting format, and public outreach scope, that must be answered before substantive charter deliberations can begin, with the city's consultants from the Collins Center noting that any home rule petition targeting the November 2025 municipal election ballot would need to reach the legislature between January and April 2025.