The Lawrence City Council voted to opt out of the state vote-by-mail program for the Nov. 4, 2025, general election after a public hearing on Sept. 19 that drew more than a dozen speakers concerned about ballot security.

At a special meeting that also livestreamed on the council’s Facebook and YouTube channels, councilors held a public roll-call vote after hearing residents and candidates describe what they said were irregularities and intimidation related to mail-in ballots during the Sept. 16 preliminary election.

The vote to opt out passed with six councilors voting yes, one abstention and one councilor recorded as voting “present.” Council President Rodriguez and Council Vice President Infante were among those who voted in favor; Councilor Del Rosario recorded an abstention. (The roll-call sequence in the meeting transcript shows Councilor Marmol, Councilor Luzon, Councilor LaPlante, Councilor Levy, Vice President Infante and President Rodriguez voting yes; Del Rosario abstained; one councilor recorded “present.”)

Why it matters: Speakers at the public hearing said they feared ballot harvesting, improper collection of ballots from elderly housing, and other gaps in the chain of custody when ballots are mailed to voters. Several councilors said they were balancing those concerns with the needs of elderly and homebound voters who rely on alternatives to in-person voting.

Public comments focused on security and trust. John Regal, a resident of Hilltop Avenue, told the council: "I encourage you, if you guys really, really wanna have a a very, very, transparent, election, kill the vote by mail and let's see what happened." Richard Russell, who gave his address as 34 Cross Street, urged tighter controls on mail ballots and suggested hand delivery and body cameras for carriers: "Until a system can be developed to ensure a secure delivery and pickup of mail in ballots, I am against the present system of mail in balloting as specifically for municipal elections."

Other public commenters urged alternatives rather than a binary keep-or-kill approach. Jonathan Guzman, vice chair of the Lawrence School Committee, said he "fully believe[s] in the system of mailing in ballots" for accessibility but called for stronger safeguards and asked the council to "take the time to fix it." Juan Manny Gonzalez, a candidate in the preliminary election, told the council: "I don't trust it right now that the mail in votes are gonna be safe... Whether it's absentee ballots that are gonna be handled by the city, by the elections department, or whatever we come out with, this system... I don't trust it."

Election staff described turnout and the department’s plans. Richard Reyes, assistant city clerk for elections, told the council that for the Sept. 16 preliminary the office had 874 early in-person votes at City Hall, about 6,070 in-person votes on election day, roughly 28–32 absentee ballots, and 798 citywide vote-by-mail requests (332 of those in District B). He also said the office received three formal written complaints from voters about ballots being picked up. On the Nov. 2024 presidential election, Reyes said, Lawrence reported an estimated 8,046 vote-by-mail ballots and 2,046 in-person votes with no state complaints.

Staff outlined contingency plans should the council opt out. Reyes and other elections staff said they would notify all voters who requested mail ballots that vote-by-mail would not be used on Nov. 4 and would offer absentee ballots to qualifying voters; they also said staff planned to meet management of elderly housing complexes, hand-deliver absentee ballots to residents who qualify, and pick them up according to the procedures the department described.

Legal and procedural clarifications came from the city clerk and elections staff during the meeting. The city clerk explained that the council’s action to opt out must be recorded in a public roll-call vote and that the Secretary of State’s vote-by-mail order requires a city to opt out at least 45 days before the election. The clerk confirmed the council met the statutory timing to opt out for Nov. 4. Councilors debated whether the decision should have happened earlier in the election cycle and whether removing vote-by-mail now could disenfranchise voters who expected to use it.

Council discussion reflected the split: several councilors said they had opposed vote-by-mail earlier in the year but worried that opting out now could deny access to elderly or homebound voters; others said recent complaints and videos alleging ballot-chasing or intimidation changed their view. Councilor Marmol said new information had shifted her position toward opting out: "I am appalled that we have elected officials... intimidating, being belligerent, causing fear to voters asking them questions as to who they are voting. Because of these reasons and because in light of this new information, I do have a different stance today."

The motion on the table was described by councilors during the meeting as the item to "opt out" of vote-by-mail for the Nov. 4 general election (agenda item submitted as 78-2025). The motion and second were made on the floor but not attributed to specific councilors in the public audio.

After the roll-call vote, the city clerk announced: "Per the Secretary of State vote-by-mail order... a public hearing and a public roll call vote not to allow vote by mail at least 45 days before the election" are required; the clerk said the council's action satisfied those criteria for Nov. 4, 2025.

The council adjourned after the vote. Elections staff said they would proceed with the notification and absentee-handling plans they described to the council.

Ending note: The council's opt-out applies only to the Nov. 4, 2025 general election; councilors and staff said options remain for absentee ballots and early in-person voting, and staff reported they are preparing procedures to assist elderly and homebound voters.