Polling Changes To Be Publicized

Responding to charges of inaction by a City Council candidate, the Cambridge Election Commission yesterday agreed to publicize changes in voting precincts immediately.

During a meeting of the commission yesterday, City Council candidate John R. Pitkin accused the commission of failing to inform the public of changes that came as a result of redrawing precinct lines.

"The result of these changes is that the voting places for thousands of voters have been changed without public notice," said Pitkin, the former president of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association. "Without immediate, massive publicity on these changes, on election day many voters will be discouraged from voting, and the election will be a shambles."

After Pitkin's complaint, the commission voted to post public notices at three polling locations that will not be used in the November election. The commission had initially decided to inform voters by postcard that several precincts were consolidated and five polling places closed, instead of issuing an official public notice.

Pitkin suggested posting large signs immediately at closed polling places, informing voters of their new precincts.

He also suggested posting maps of the new precincts, lists of new polling places and a clear explanation of the reason for the changes at all current polling places, and broadcasting the information on cable television.

In response, the commission has posted signs at three of the closed polling locations: Pisani Center, St, Francis Hall, and Longfellow School.

"We want a normal-sized sign on cardboard made by the public works division," said Election Commissioner Sondra Scheir. "The sign will say this is no longer a polling location, and you will receive in the mail your new location."

Despite the commission's reversal, Scheir maintained that postcards have been used to inform voters of previous changes without any problem. Scheir opposes posting public notices of new polling places in part because she does not want to deal with large numbers of public questions about the changes.

"[Voters] do not know their ward and precinct," said Scheir, "so we'll get a lot of telephone calls."

In the discussion of Pitkin's requests, Scheir questioned the candidate's assertion that thousands of voters don't know where to vote.

"This is campaign time," she said. "If he won't change [his facts], we must."

But Pitkin said he based his statistics on the fact that each of the three closed precincts had 800 registered voters.

"That's significant," he said. "That doesaffect thousands of voters. This does representinequities."

The candidate said he appreciated the stepstaken by the committee. "What they're doing now isbetter than what they were doing this morning, butI'd like to see them do more," he said.

The meeting also marked the return of thecommission's Executive Director Teresa S.Neighbor, whom the Board of Election Commissionershad voted to discharge on September 10.

City Manager Robert W. Healy opened the meetingwith a plea for Neighbor and the commissioners towork together to ensure a smooth election, buttension persisted.

For example, Scheir and Neighbor blamed eachother for printing an election manual onsingle-sided paper.

Schier said the printing decision was not thecommissioners'. "I'm told that this comes out of[Neighbor's] office," she said.

Neighbors said the commissioners have the finaldecision on printing.

"If [my assistant] is not instructed to printit back-to-back, she does not have the initiativeto do so," Neighbor said

"That's significant," he said. "That doesaffect thousands of voters. This does representinequities."

The candidate said he appreciated the stepstaken by the committee. "What they're doing now isbetter than what they were doing this morning, butI'd like to see them do more," he said.

The meeting also marked the return of thecommission's Executive Director Teresa S.Neighbor, whom the Board of Election Commissionershad voted to discharge on September 10.

City Manager Robert W. Healy opened the meetingwith a plea for Neighbor and the commissioners towork together to ensure a smooth election, buttension persisted.

For example, Scheir and Neighbor blamed eachother for printing an election manual onsingle-sided paper.

Schier said the printing decision was not thecommissioners'. "I'm told that this comes out of[Neighbor's] office," she said.

Neighbors said the commissioners have the finaldecision on printing.

"If [my assistant] is not instructed to printit back-to-back, she does not have the initiativeto do so," Neighbor said