Lawrence City Council votes to opt out of vote-by-mail for Nov. 4 general election after public hearing

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…