News Clips

"This is not a partisan act. This is a patriotic act," said Pam Wilmot, the executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts. "It's something that we cannot let slide because if we let this president do it, then the next one might be in the same position.

"We want to demonstrate that people care about this, that the rule of law is important and that our country will not stand for a fake trial and just sweeping this under the rug," Wilmot said. "This is a serious matter. It should not be about politics."

Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Pam Wilmot, one of the advocates who pushed for Massachusetts to adopt automatic voter registration, said the language Baker vetoed “would tell the Registry of Motor Vehicles to do exactly what the Legislature told them to do in 2018 when they initially passed the law.” Wilmot said the RMV has been pursuing a different opt-out method than envisioned in the original law, and that the delay was necessary because “it will take them some time to change their gears.”

The 2018 law calls for a simpler system than the one that is currently being implemented, she said. The section vetoed by Baker “essentially tells the RMV to do what the Legislature passed in 2018,” said Wilmot. The language that has been tested for automatic voter registration at the RMV has been confusing, said Wilmot.

Good government groups say a lack of clear policies on conflict of interest involving election officials in Massachusetts means the lines between voter information and campaign activity is often blurred. "The Ethics Commission has ducked this issue for many years," said Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause of Massachusetts. "So in this case a slap on the hand is better than turning the other way, which is what has happened for a very long time."

Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause of Massachusetts, said any spending on behalf or in opposition to a political candidate should be disclosed to the public.