Boston, MA  – Today, the Election Modernization Coalition (EMC) held a press conference announcing its 2025 legislative campaign to strengthen voting access for all Bay Staters in Nurse’s Hall at the State House.

“Every statewide election, thousands of voters show up to vote on Election Day but encounter preventable barriers to voting. The Voting Access Campaign seeks to remove those known barriers by advocating for important voting reforms like Same Day Registration. Let’s ensure that every eligible voter who seeks to cast a ballot on Election Day can cast one that counts and that we make sure the door to our democracy is fully opened to all eligible voters in Massachusetts,” said Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts.

This campaign launch comes amidst ongoing federal attacks on voting rights like the SAVE Act. The SAVE Act and President Trump’s elections executive order aim to roll back over 15 years of progress made in Massachusetts election laws by restricting vote-by-mail, automatic voter registration, online voter registration, pre-registration, and more.

The EMC called on the legislature to pass:

• H. 384/S. 505: Same Day Voter Registration, to allow all eligible voters to register or update their registration in-person on Election Day or early voting days;
• H. 820/ S. 504: Disability Voting Access Oversight, to require the Secretary of Commonwealth to do an inspection of all polling places and early voting sites at least once every four years to ensure compliance with federal and state disability accessibility laws; and
• H. 799/ S. 503: Separating Municipal Census and Voter Registration, to prevent eligible voters from being dropped from the voter rolls for not responding to the census.

At the press conference, Rosaura Cortez, a voter from East Boston, described how she showed up to vote on Election Day in 2024, but was unable to get a ballot because she unknowingly missed the voter registration deadline.

“On the day of the General Election in November 2024, I went to East Boston High School and was not given a ballot because my name was misspelled—it was missing one letter. I registered right then and there, but I was not allowed to vote because I missed the deadline ten days before. I felt disappointed because voting was very important to me. That’s why I support Same-Day Voter Registration,” said Rosaura Cortez.

Meanwhile, Fiona Yu, a voter from Allston, was similarly denied a ballot after she tried to vote on Election Day after moving to a new city, despite having all the proper documentation required to vote.

“Many eligible voters are not able to cast their ballots on Election Day for so many reasons. This is why Same Day Registration is important – it reduces barriers to voting and helps create a truly democratic, accessible, and fair process that ensures every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate,” said Fiona Yu.

If same day voter registration had been in place, both Fiona and Rosaura would have been able to cast regular ballots on Election Day.

Disability advocates also highlighted the need for stronger enforcement of provisions to help disabled voters access the polls.

“The Disability Law Center is proud to participate in the efforts of the Election Modernization Coalition as we seek to ensure full opportunities for voter participation. Addressing physical barriers, both outside and inside the polling place to cast a private ballot ensure equal access for persons with disabilities,” said Barbara L’Italien, Executive Director and CEO, Disability Law Center, Inc.  

During the press conference, EMC highlighted its recent report showing 66% of provisional ballots cast in the 2024 November election were unnecessarily rejected and could have been prevented if Massachusetts had Same Day Voter Registration.

All 10 members of the EMC as well as representatives from the 45 endorsing organizations gathered in solidarity at the press conference.

Since its founding in 2010, EMC has successfully advocated for new voting rights laws including Automatic Voter Registration, Vote-by-Mail, Early Voting, Online Voter Registration, Pre-Registration of 16 and 17 year-olds, enrollment in the Electronic Registration and Information Center (ERIC). Learn more about EMC here.

Speakers encouraged Massachusetts voters to call on their lawmakers to strengthen voting access by visiting votingrightsma.org.

Watch the full press conference here.

###