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The bill is the largest expansion of voting access in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in years. It makes permanent a number of emergency changes to Massachusetts’ election laws made in 2020 to deal with the pandemic, including allowing voters to vote by mail without an excuse and expanding early voting options.

The Massachusetts VOTES Act Conference Committee today released its version of the comprehensive election reform bill, which will now head to the House and Senate for final procedural votes before being sent to Governor Baker’s desk.

On Monday, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Elections Laws sent the VOTES Act to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the first step in bringing the comprehensive voting bill up for a vote.

Sen. Cindy Creem and Rep. John Lawn have filed legislation that the Election Modernization Coalition heralded as the most comprehensive next step for Massachusetts elections.