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VOTES Act Lobby Day
May 11, 2021 @ 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Save the date – Tuesday, May 11, noon to 1:30 p.m. – for a virtual lobby day.
Plan to participate in a virtual lobby day to support the VOTES Act, Massachusetts proposed legislation which will make permanent election reforms put in place last fall. Register here to join!
Read more below about the VOTES Act and how you can help to move this bill forward.
How You Can Help Move the VOTES Act Forward
While most bills do not get voted on in the House and Senate until the second year of the legislative session, the VOTES Act, HD.1536/SD.1002, that will make last fall’s election reforms including mail voting permanent, needs action now. That emergency legislation on mail voting has already been temporarily extended to June 30 to cover the spring town elections. The legislature should pass the VOTES Act this summer to cover this fall’s municipal elections and all future elections.
Please email Senator Cynthia Creem and Representatives Ruth Balsar, Kay Khan and John Lawn and ask them to urge the Senate and House leadership and the chairs of the Joint Committee on Election Laws to move this voting reform bill quickly so these important changes can be implemented by the fall elections. Contact information for your state representatives can be found here.
The bill includes expanded in-person early voting and expanded access to voting by mail. Voters can have mail ballots sent to them permanently (until they cancel) without further application. It provides for drop boxes, an online portal for mail ballot application and prepaid postage for applications and ballots. It also continues practices at election officials’ offices that make the process more efficient, including processing mailed ballots ahead of Election Day. And it would bring same day voter registration to Massachusetts.
More information about the VOTES Act