The League of Women Voters Newton says the city's proposed early voting schedule for two upcoming statewide elections lacks evening hours, and the group is urging the City Council's Programs & Services Committee to add them before the panel meets Wednesday, July 15.

In a letter sent Tuesday, July 14, to committee Chair Josh Krintzman, the League asked the committee to include at least one weekday evening session — 5 to 8 p.m. — in the early voting plans for the Tuesday, September 1, 2026 primary and the Tuesday, November 3, 2026 general election. The letter, authored by LWVN member Frieda Dweck, says evening hours have historically been available in Newton but are absent from the current proposal.

The committee is taking up the issue under Docket Items 245-26 and 246-26, which set early voting hours for both elections.

Under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 54, Section 25B, cities must offer in-person early voting for statewide primaries and general elections but have discretion over the specific hours they provide. The early voting window for the September 1 primary runs Saturday, August 22, through Friday, August 28, 2026. For the November 3 general election, early voting runs Saturday, October 17, through Friday, October 30, 2026.

The League argues that dropping evening hours would cut off working residents who cannot leave their jobs during the day. In the letter, the group urged the committee to "add back the early-evening hours that will enable more Newton residents to exercise their constitutional right to vote."

Newton did offer at least one evening session during the October 2025 municipal election, when early voting at City Hall ran until 8 p.m. on Monday, October 27, 2025. Whether evening hours were also offered for prior statewide elections could not be independently confirmed.

The specific hours the city is proposing in the two docket items have not been made public in available documents. Krintzman, the Ward 4 at-large councilor who chairs the eight-member committee, had not publicly responded to the LWVN request as of Tuesday, July 14.

The Programs & Services Committee meets Wednesday, July 15. Residents can contact committee members through the Newton City Council website or attend the meeting to offer public comment.