In an effort to draw more voters to the polls, Boston City Councillor John M. Tobin, Jr. wants the city to explore the feasibility of holding elections on Saturdays, and filed an order this week calling for a public hearing on the issue.

“Voter turnout in the last municipal election was the lowest in Boston in 22 years,” said Councillor Tobin, who represents West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and parts of Roslindale. “That’s abysmal and it’s unacceptable. We need to take some drastic steps to energize and excite the voters of Boston.”

Councillor Tobin said, according to the city’s Election Department, only 13 percent of the city’s registered voters participated in the 2007 City Council election. In fact, the 2007 Citywide City Council September Preliminary was cancelled due to a shortage of viable candidates, he explained.

Councillor Tobin said it can be difficult for some individuals to make it to the polls during the work week because of jobs and family responsibilities. He said Saturday elections would allow more people to participate because it’s typically a day off from work. He added that people who work weekends would largely be unaffected by the change since polls would still be open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

“Fewer and fewer people are exercising their right to vote in local elections. That’s not healthy for our city or for our democracy,” said Councillor Tobin. “We need to find new and innovative ways to get Boston’s voters back to the polls.”

Saturday elections are one of several recent initiatives proposed by Councillor Tobin concerning elections and voter turnout. He recently filed orders calling for term limits for the offices of Mayor and City Council. He also wants to extend the terms of a City councilor from two years to four.
he order will be introduced at the Council’s weekly meeting tomorrow, April 2. It will then be assigned to a City Council committee and a public hearing will be scheduled.