Hopkinton canvassers remove resident from voter rolls, cite nonresidency

The Hopkinton Board of Canvassers voted unanimously April 7, 2025 to remove Scott Hurst from the town’s voter rolls after a hearing in which the board found he had not resided in Hopkinton since August 2024. Cynthia, a member of the Hopkinton Board of Canvassers, said the decision followed review of the record and evidence presented at the hearing.

The board’s decision turned on residency. “We sympathize greatly with the respondent’s current situation, but we swore an oath to uphold the laws of the state regarding our responsibilities,” Cynthia said during the hearing. Board members referenced evidence the property the respondent had listed was uninhabitable, including claims of no running water and that the house was boarded up; witnesses said town residents had tried to help the respondent but that he would not accept assistance.

Board Chair Sandra Johansson said the panel had postponed the matter previously and given the respondent time to provide proof of residence. “The law is the law,” Johansson said, adding that if the respondent returns to Hopkinton the board would reinstate him on the rolls.

During the hearing the board members noted statements that the respondent had spent time in shelters, had lived for short periods outside town and had applied to housing providers only after the board’s initial meeting; the hearing record includes mentions that he spent time in Connecticut and may have been in Rhode Island. The transcript shows the board found the respondent’s explanations evasive and not credible on the question of continued residence in Hopkinton.

A member of staff advised the board that the town should prepare a written decision for signature and that an appeal could be taken to the State Board of Elections. The staff member said the appeal period likely begins when the written decision is issued and that it is “a 20 day appeal period.”

The board voted to remove the respondent from the voter rolls; the vote was recorded as unanimous. Members agreed to meet to review and sign a written decision, and the chair said she would draft the decision to be circulated to town staff for scheduling of a short meeting to adopt and sign it. The board also noted that removal from Hopkinton’s rolls does not strip the individual of the right to register and vote where he currently resides outside Hopkinton.

The board adjourned after completing the action; the written decision will be prepared for the board to review at a scheduled meeting to adopt and sign the findings.