Boston City Council Votes 10-3 to Give Its Own Staff Election Day Off, Urges City and State to Follow

The Boston City Council has voted to observe Election Day, Nov. 3, as a holiday for its own employees and to urge the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to make the day an official holiday, according to the council's Legistar record.

The resolution, Docket #1975, was adopted on Oct. 21 under a suspension of the rules, meaning it passed on the day it was filed without being sent to committee. The vote was 10 to 3. Council President Liz Breadon and Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Miniard Culpepper, Sharon Durkan, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, Benjamin Weber and Brian Worrell voted yes. Councilors John FitzGerald, Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy voted no, the record shows. Breadon offered the resolution, and Louijeune and Santana were added as original co-sponsors at the meeting.

The resolution's text says that "on November 3, 2026, the Boston City Council will observe Election Day as a holiday and allow all council employees the ability to participate in the democratic process on Election Day." It goes on to urge the city and the state "to follow suit in establishing Election Day an official holiday."

The Nov. 3 state election will choose the governor, a U.S. senator, members of the U.S. House and the state Legislature, and will include nine statewide ballot questions, according to the city's Election Department. City Council seats are not on this year's ballot.

The resolution builds its case on turnout data. It cites an analysis from the United States Elections Project that national turnout has hovered around 60 percent in presidential elections and 40 percent in midterm years. It cites a U.S. Census Bureau survey of the 2022 midterm election in which 26.5 percent of nonvoters, or about 9.9 million registered people, gave "Too busy, conflicting work or school schedule" as their main reason for not voting. It also cites Census data from the 2020 election showing turnout of 81 percent among households earning $100,000 to $149,999 and 63.6 percent among households earning $30,000 to $39,999.

"Making Election Day a holiday removes administrative and employment related obstacles to electoral participation," the resolution states, adding that it would give employees flexibility "to vote, volunteer as election officers, assist with polling site administration, and support local civic operations."

The floor debate, reported by Mass Daily News from the council's video, showed sharp divisions. Breadon said the council would be closed that day. "Any City Council employee who chooses to work may do so, but there will not be any Council meetings or hearings," she said, according to the outlet, which reported that she confirmed under questioning from Murphy that the closure includes the council's central staff. "So Election Day should be Democracy Day," Breadon said. "It seems symbolic, but I think it's powerful."

Murphy, an at-large councilor, said council staff already have "complete flexibility on the days they work," according to Mass Daily News, and noted that many city departments do not have the option of working from home. "We have two weeks of early voting," she said. "Anyone in this building can walk downstairs right now and vote." She said Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin expected up to 60 percent of votes to be cast well before Election Day, the outlet reported.

In a statement to the outlet, Murphy said, "This gives Council employees an extra paid day off without using vacation or personal time," and added, "With several ways to vote and flexible staff schedules already available, there is no good reason to close Council offices and make it harder for residents to get help." Mass Daily News reported that she said on the floor she could support a citywide or statewide holiday, but not one for council staff alone.

Flynn argued that the holiday could benefit incumbents in future council elections, according to the report. "If you are challenging a City Councilor for public office, you don't have the staff that can man the polling locations for you or knock on doors on Election Day," he said. "But for incumbents, you can automatically have the day off." He said his own staff would work on Nov. 3. In a Facebook post quoted by the outlet, Flynn called the vote "disrespectful to the residents of the city."

FitzGerald raised the possibility that staff might treat the day as vacation, Mass Daily News reported.

Supporters described the measure as a statement of priorities. Santana, a co-sponsor, said, "Boston must lead by example and ensure every worker has the time to make their voices heard," according to the outlet. Mejia called the resolution "a statement of our values." Durkan, who voted yes, acknowledged "optical challenges to us deciding on Election Day that our staff has the day off," the outlet reported. Coletta Zapata, who presided and supported the resolution, said staff working at the polls should provide only nonpartisan or neutral services, according to the report, and later wrote on Facebook that her office "will remain staffed on Election Day as it always does."

A resolution expresses the council's position; it does not change the city's holiday schedule or state law. Mass Daily News reported that the Boston Public Schools calendar lists no closure on Election Day.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs through Friday, Oct. 30, according to the city's Election Department. Saturday, Oct. 24, is the deadline to register to vote in the election: 5 p.m. in person at City Hall, Room 241, and 11:59 p.m. online, with mailed forms required to be postmarked by Oct. 24. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.