{"id":177,"date":"2020-05-13T18:33:27","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T18:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/media-advisory-voting-rights-organizations-to-testify-at-hearing-on-covid-fall-elections-bills\/"},"modified":"2020-05-13T18:33:27","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T18:33:27","slug":"media-advisory-voting-rights-organizations-to-testify-at-hearing-on-covid-fall-elections-bills","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/media-advisory-voting-rights-organizations-to-testify-at-hearing-on-covid-fall-elections-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"MEDIA ADVISORY: Voting Rights Organizations to Testify at Hearing on COVID &amp; Fall Elections Bills"},"template":"","class_list":["post-177","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","press_type":146,"authors":[null,null],"related_issues":[109,462],"related_work":false,"location":24},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<a class=\"button1\" role=\"button\"  href=\"\">Download Advisory<\/a> "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-release\/for-immediate-releasebill-would-expand-voting-options-to-safeguard-massachusetts-fall-elections\/attachment\/may-5-coalition\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8166\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-8166\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/May-5-coalition-1024x256.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"256\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2020<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Media Contact<\/strong>: Pam Wilmot, Common Cause Massachusetts\r\n\r\n617 962 0034 | pwilmot@commoncause.org\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>MEDIA ADVISORY<\/strong>: Voting Rights Organizations to Testify at Hearing on COVID &amp; Fall Elections Bills Tomorrow\/Thursday 1pm \u2013 5pm\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMedia are invited to observe the public hearing by the Joint Committee on Election Laws on bills to enable safe, accessible and secure voting in the fall elections.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>WHO<\/strong>: Voting rights organizations including Common Cause Massachusetts, MassVOTE, the League of Women Voters, and the ACLU of Massachusetts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>WHAT<\/strong>:\u00a0 Testimony before the Joint Committee on Election Laws in support of HD 5075, An Act Ensuring Safe and Participatory 2020 State Elections in Response to COVID-19.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>WHEN<\/strong>:\u00a0 Tomorrow, Thursday, May 14, starting at 1pm. Speakers are expected to give four minutes of remarks, followed by six minutes of Q&amp;A from Committee members. Advocates will testify towards the end of the hearing and are currently scheduled from 3:15-4:15, although that could change.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>WHERE<\/strong>: Senator Barry Finegold\u2019s Facebook page at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BarryFinegoldMA\/\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>WHY<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/191\/HD5075\">HD 5075 has over 80 co-sponsors<\/a> in the legislature and has been endorsed by over 70 organizations since it was filed by Representatives Michael Moran and John Lawn last week. Lead Senate co-sponsors include Senators Eric Lesser, Adam Hinds, and Harriette Chandler.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe bill will do the following to help voters participate in fall elections despite the coronavirus threat:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>require the Secretary of State to mail ballots to all Massachusetts voters before the November election without an application required;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>affirm coronavirus concerns as a reason to allow all voters to vote by absentee ballot in the September primary and November general elections;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>require the Secretary of State to establish a statewide online portal for voters to apply for and track the progress of absentee ballots;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>allow two weeks of early voting before the September primary, and three weeks of early voting before the November election;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>allow election officials to scan absentee and early voting ballots in the clerk\u2019s offices when they are received \u2013 but not permit results to be calculated or announced until the polls close;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>change the deadline to register to vote or update voter registrations to 10 days before the election;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>allow general election ballots postmarked on or before November 3 to be counted, as long as they are received by November 13; and<\/li>\r\n \t<li>require the Secretary of State to issue regulations governing public health safeguards at early voting sites and polling places to protect voters and poll workers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe hearing will also include Secretary of Commonwealth Galvin\u2019s proposal, as well as bills filed by Senator Cynthia Creem (S2653), by Senator Rebecca Rausch (2654), by Representative Jeffrey Roy and Representative Jon Santiago (HD 5066), Representative Paul Mark and Lindsay Sabodosa (H4623), by Representative Tami Gouveia (HD 5077), Representative Jeffrey Roy (H4699) and by Senator Paul Feeney (SD 2963).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe hearing will be live-streamed on Senator Barry Finegold\u2019s Facebook page at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BarryFinegoldMA\/.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOrganizations endorsing HD 5075 include:\r\n\r\nCommon Cause Massachusetts\r\n\r\nThe ACLU of Massachusetts\r\n\r\nThe League of Women Voters of Massachusetts\r\n\r\nMASSPIRG\r\n\r\nMassVOTE\r\n\r\nThe Massachusetts Voter Table\r\n\r\n1199 SEIU Massachusetts\r\n\r\nNAACP-Boston Branch\r\n\r\nMassachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition\r\n\r\nMass Communities Action Network\r\n\r\nNeighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts\r\n\r\nSierra Club Massachusetts Chapter\r\n\r\nGarrison Trotter Neighborhood Association\r\n\r\nLift+Every+Vote\r\n\r\nEnvironmental League of Massachusetts\r\n\r\nWorcester Interfaith\r\n\r\nProgressive Massachusetts\r\n\r\nUnitarian Universalist Mass Action\r\n\r\nJewish Alliance for Law and Social Action\r\n\r\nReclaim Our Democracy\r\n\r\nFranklin County Continuing the Political Revolution\r\n\r\nCharles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice\r\n\r\nThe Real Cost of Prisons Project\r\n\r\nEnd Mass Incarceration Together\r\n\r\nJewish Alliance for Law and Social Action\r\n\r\nMassachusetts Peace Action\r\n\r\nProgressive Democrats of Massachusetts\r\n\r\nMental Health Legal Advisors Committee\r\n\r\nJetpac\r\n\r\nVoter Choice for Massachusetts 2020\r\n\r\nSmall Planet Institute\r\n\r\nIndivisible Martha's Vineyard\r\n\r\nMassachusetts Law Reform Institute\r\n\r\nRosie's Place\r\n\r\nIndivisible Northampton\r\n\r\nMITvote\r\n\r\nThe Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law School\r\n\r\nPHENOM\r\n\r\nCriminal Justice Reform Task Force of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek\r\n\r\nBurlington Democratic Town Committee\r\n\r\nMAPS-Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers\r\n\r\nGreater Boston Section-National Council of Negro Women\r\n\r\nMA Association of Community Development Corporations\r\n\r\nArise for Social Justice\r\n\r\nLa Comunidad, Inc\r\n\r\nChilmark Democratic Town Committee\r\n\r\nProgressive For Democracy in America\r\n\r\nClean Water Action MA\r\n\r\nFour Freedoms Coalition\r\n\r\nCoalition for Social Justice\r\n\r\nRacial Justice Rising\r\n\r\nNational Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter\r\n\r\niVOTE\r\n\r\nAmerican Promise\r\n\r\nBerkshire Democratic Brigades\r\n\r\nMassachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance\r\n\r\nYWCA Southeastern Massachusetts\r\n\r\nYWCA Cambridge\r\n\r\nYWCA Malden\r\n\r\nAmerican Federation of Teachers-MA\r\n\r\nRight to the City Boston\r\n\r\nAlternatives for Community and Environment\r\n\r\nCity Life Vida Urbana\r\n\r\nNew England United for Justice\r\n\r\nBlack Directors' Network\r\n\r\nSomerville Democratic City Committee\r\n\r\nYoung Democrats of Massachusetts\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">###<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Election Modernization Coalition is comprised of the ACLU of Massachusetts, Common Cause Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, MassVOTE, and the Massachusetts Voter Table."}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>MEDIA ADVISORY: Voting Rights Organizations to Testify at Hearing on COVID &amp; 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