Boston City Council election

Boston will have more options for voters to avoid standing in line come Election Day. The city’s Board of Election Commissioners Tuesday approved 20 drop box sites and 19 early voting sites for this year’s September 14 preliminary and November 2 general elections.

As candidates for the District 4 City Council seat hit the streets to knock on doors and pass out flyers ahead of the preliminary election Sept. 14, in addition to their normal water bottles and sunscreen they now carry a few more supplies: face masks and hand sanitizer.

When it comes to marshalling dozens of volunteers, printing and distributing campaign literature and paying for staff, campaign cash is the oil that greases the electoral machine.