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\r\nCommonwealth Poised to Become 14th State to Adopt AVR<\/em><\/p>\r\nBOSTON, MA \u2013 With a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 38-0, the Massachusetts Senate today passed Automatic Voter Registration (H. 4667).\r\n\r\nThe AVR legislation, originally introduced by Sen. Cynthia Creem and the late Rep. Peter Kocot, would establish a system for eligible citizens to automatically register to vote when they interact with a state agency like the Registry of Motor Vehicles or MassHealth. Approximately 680,000 eligible Massachusetts voters are currently not registered.\r\n\r\n\u201cAutomatic Voter Registration will make voting more accurate, more secure, and more available to all. That\u2019s good for democracy, for election security, and for voters,\u201d said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts, which led the broad-based coalition pushing for the bill. \u201cUtilizing existing technology to modernize the voter registration process just is basic common sense, and we are thrilled that all 38 Senators agreed with us.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe legislation has enjoyed broad support in both legislative chambers. It passed in the House on June 27 by a bipartisan vote of 130-20. Attorney General Maura Healey and Secretary of State Bill Galvin are also supporters. The legislation is endorsed by 65 organizations including environmental, civil rights, consumer, community, labor, and good government groups.\r\n\r\nAfter the House concurs and both the Senate and House enact the bill, it will go to Governor Charlie Baker for signature.\r\n\r\nThirteen states and the District of Columbia have passed automatic voter registration: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.\u00a0A report<\/span><\/a>\u00a0based on data from Oregon, Vermont, and Colorado concluded that the cost of implementing AVR in Massachusetts would be minimal.\r\n\r\n\"While voter suppression is on the rise nationally, we\u2019re proud Massachusetts is leading the way forward to expand ballot access,\u201d said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. \u201cVoter registration should be simple, accessible, and secure, because increased voter participation makes our democracy stronger.\"\r\n\r\n\"We commend the legislature's passage of Automatic Voter Registration, a reform that will expand the electorate to those too frequently pushed to the margins,\" noted Beth Huang, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table.\r\n\r\n\"Our democracy is strongest when everyone's voice can be heard. This bill will help engage the almost 700,000 eligible but unregistered citizens in Massachusetts, strengthening democracy and setting a positive example for other states,\u201d said Jonathan Cohn of Progressive Massachusetts.\r\n\r\nMeryl Kessler, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, added:\r\n\"The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts applauds today's vote by the Massachusetts Senate. Bringing AVR to our state will remove real obstacles to political participation, ensuring that more voices can be heard.\"\r\n\r\n\u201cToday we thank the Massachusetts Senate for approving an Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) bill as a new avenue to increase voter participation and accessibility to Massachusetts\u2019 most vulnerable communities,\u201d said Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director of MassVOTE.\r\n\r\n\"If there was a World Cup for election reform, passing Automatic Voter Registration would definitely be a huge goal. Today, everyone who cares about democracy scored,\" said Executive Director of MASSPIRG Janet Domenitz.\r\n\r\nThe Election Modernization Coalition is led by Common Cause Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters or Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, MassVOTE, the Massachusetts Voter Table, ACLU of Massachusetts, and Progressive Massachusetts. A full list of member organizations\u00a0can be found here,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and more information about AVR\u00a0can be found here.<\/span><\/a>\r\n