{"id":188,"date":"2020-07-02T20:53:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T20:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/release-voting-rights-advocates-and-80-organizations-urge-governor-baker-to-sign-elections-bill-immediately\/"},"modified":"2020-07-02T20:53:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T20:53:50","slug":"release-voting-rights-advocates-and-80-organizations-urge-governor-baker-to-sign-elections-bill-immediately","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/release-voting-rights-advocates-and-80-organizations-urge-governor-baker-to-sign-elections-bill-immediately\/","title":{"rendered":"RELEASE: Voting Rights Advocates and 80+ Organizations Urge Governor Baker to Sign Elections Bill Immediately"},"template":"","class_list":["post-188","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>\r\n\r\nToday, critical legislation that will help keep elections safe, accessible, and participatory this fall in the face of threats posed by COVID-19 was sent to the desk of Governor Baker. The legislation will create significant protections for voters, ensuring that no citizen has to choose between their health and their right to vote, and it expands access to voting long needed in the Bay State.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Election Modernization Coalition along with 80 organizations from across the state support the bill and urged Governor Baker to sign it into law immediately in a letter (copied below). The election reforms in the bill require significant time and effort to implement -- and with the primary election less than 10 weeks away, there is no time to waste. What\u2019s more, the first ballot application mailing is slated to go out July 15, in less than two weeks. If Governor Baker does not sign the bill quickly, this deadline will be difficult to meet and many of the reforms in the bill could be rendered moot.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe final legislation is similar to the versions passed by the House and Senate in late May and earlier this month, respectively. It will expand early voting options and make it easier to vote by mail in Massachusetts.\u00a0 All registered voters will automatically receive a mail ballot application for both the Sept. 1 state primary and the November general election.\u00a0 The Secretary of the Commonwealth is also charged with establishing an online portal so voters can request a mail ballot online. Given the challenge that processing a surge in mail ballot applications will pose to town clerks and elections officials, creating this portal quickly will be critical because it has the ability to significantly reduce clerks' work processing paper applications.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe bill also offers protections for in-person voting and will expand early voting for the November general and implement it for the first time for the September primary.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe coalition urges the Governor to sign H. 4820 immediately so that election administrators and local election officials can implement the legislation as soon as possible, and advocates and others can begin educating voters about these important changes.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

###<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe Election Modernization Coalition includes Common Cause of Massachusetts, MassVOTE, the ACLU of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, Mass Voter Table, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.<\/span><\/i>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\nThursday, July 2, 2020\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDear Governor Baker:<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOne of the most important pieces of legislation of the year, H.4820, An Act Relative to Voting Options in Response to COVID-19, is awaiting your signature. This legislation will help keep elections safe and accessible, and to ensure voter confidence this fall in the face of threats posed by COVID-19. We urge you to sign it swiftly.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThis legislation has been months in the making. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in March, we recognized the urgency of preparing for fall elections during a pandemic. Thanks to the leadership and support of members of the Legislature, particularly Election Laws Committee Chairs John Lawn and Barry Finegold, this legislation contains best practices for expanding mail voting and protecting in-person voting options. We extend our sincerest gratitude to those legislators who have advocated for and shepherded this bill through the legislative process.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn the months since, we have continued to learn from other states that held primary elections. One of the most important lessons from those states - like Wisconsin and Georgia - is that the changes in this bill take time to implement, and without adequate preparation the reforms entailed in this bill could be rendered moot. Our elections officials need to prepare for a surge in mail ballots and applications, and they will need all the time available to recruit and train adequate poll workers so that poll closures do not create an additional barrier to Bay Staters participating in our elections. It is therefore imperative that you sign this bill into law quickly.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe legislation before you will expand early voting options and make it easier to vote by mail in Massachusetts.\u00a0 All registered voters will automatically receive a mail ballot application for both the September state primary and the November general election.\u00a0 The Secretary of the Commonwealth is also charged with establishing an online portal so voters can request a mail ballot online. In addition, the bill offers protections for in-person voting, and will expand in-person early voting for the November general election and implement it for the first time for the September primary.\u00a0 There are important provisions to assist local elections officials with their work as well.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe first ballot application mailing is slated to go out July 15, in just two weeks. Without your swift action, this deadline will be difficult to meet.<\/span>\r\n\r\nWe know that many other important issues \u2013 including the outbreak of COVID-19, the resulting fiscal crisis, and the need for racial justice \u2013 require your immediate and ongoing attention. We appreciate your leadership over the past months.\u00a0 We urge you to act decisively to address one more challenge: preserving safety and access for voters during our fall elections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSigned,\r\n\r\nPam Wilmot, Common Cause Massachusetts\r\nRahsaan Hall, ACLU of Massachusetts\r\nJanet Domenitz, MASSPIRG\r\nCheryl Clyburn Crawford, MassVOTE\r\nPatricia Comfort, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts\r\nBeth Huang, Massachusetts Voter Table\r\n\r\nTim Foley, 1199SEIU Massachusetts\r\nJosh Young, Action for Boston Community Development\r\nMarvin Martin, Action for Equity\r\nBeth Kontos, American Federation of Teachers-MA\r\nJeff Clements, American Promise\r\nRosario Ubiera-Minaya, Amplify Latinx\r\nTanisha Arena, Arise for Social Justice\r\nPriscilla Flint-Banks, Black Boston COVID19 Coalition\r\nCheryl Clyburn Crawford, Black Directors' Network\r\nLarry Banks, Black Economic Justistic Institute\r\nRev. David Wright, Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, Inc.\r\nSpencer Brown and Eve Seitchik, Boston Democratic Socialists of America\r\nNia Evans, Boston Ujima Project\r\nLisa Boehm, Laura Kerper, Lesley Benson, co-founders of BAND, Bridge Action Network for Democracy (BAND)\r\nPhyllis Neufeld, Burlington Democratic Town Committee\r\nSovanna Pouv, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, Inc.\r\nDavid J. Harris, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice\r\nGladys Vega, Chelsea Collaborative\r\nLisa Owens, City Life Vida Urbana\r\nRev. June Cooper, City Mission, Inc.\r\nYun-Ju Choi, Coalition for a Better Acre\r\nDeb Fastino, Coaltion for Social Justice\r\nGail Latimore, Codman Square NDC\r\nMadeline Hertz, Democratic Policy Center\r\nElizabeth Henry, Environmental League of Massachusetts\r\nAdam Eichen, Equal Citizens\r\nKatrinia Shaw, Freedom House\r\nLouis Elisa, Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association\r\nSamuel M. Gebru, Generation Citizen Massachusetts\r\nCharlene Greene, Greater Boston Section-National Council of Negro Women\r\nCarla Cooper, Indivisible Martha's Vineyard\r\nDebbie Paul, Indivisible Mass Coalition\r\nLaurie Veninger, Indivisible Outer Cape\r\nNadeem Mazen, Jetpac\r\nCindy Rowe, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action\r\nAaron Agulnek, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston\r\nSophia Hall, Lawyers for Civil Rights\r\nDavid A. Bryant, MA Association of Community Development Corporations\r\nJavier Gutierrez, Madison Park Development Corporation\r\nTristan Grieve, March For Our Lives: Massachusetts\r\nMichael Kane, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants\r\nThomas Callahan, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance\r\nCassandra Bensahih, Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement\r\nEva A. Millona, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition\r\nAndrea Burns, Massachusetts Peace Action\r\nCelia J. Blue, Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition\r\nEmily Ruddock, Executive Director, MASSCreative\r\nPhillip Kassel, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee\r\nSue Swanson, Mothers Out Front\r\nJuan M. Cofield, NAACP- New England Area Conference\r\nTanisha Sullivan, NAACP-Boston Branch\r\nRebekah Gewirtz, National Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter\r\nMaria Elena Letona, Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts\r\nNoemi Ramos, New England United for Justice\r\nBrian Miller, Nonprofit Vote\r\nZac Bears, PHENOM\r\nMehreen Butt, Planned Parenthood\r\nJohn Lippitt, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts\r\nRussell Freedman, Progressive For Democracy in America\r\nFred Van Deusen, Reclaim Our Democracy\r\nFilipe Zamborlini, Rosie's Place\r\nShana Bryant, Shana Bryant Consulting Services\r\nDeb Pasternak, Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter\r\nFrances Moore Lapp\u00e9, Small Planet Institute\r\nAnika, Somerville Democratic City Committee\r\nFredie Kay, Suffrage 100MA\r\nMichael Chen, Sunrise Movement Boston\r\nMark Haidar, The Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law School\r\nShahara Jaghoo, The Women's Pipeline for Change\r\nAziza Robinson-Goodnight, Transformative Culture Project\r\nHorace Small, Union of Minority Neighborhoods\r\nKeith Motley, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts\r\nVote New Bedford\r\nGeorge Pillsbury, Voter Choice for Massachusetts 2020\r\nNicole Forbes, Women's Bar Association of MA\r\nIsabel Gonzalez-Webster, Worcester Interfaith\r\nLezlie Braxton Campbell, Young Demcorats of Massachusetts\r\nEva Martin Blythe, YWCA Cambridge\r\nYWCA Malden\r\nJordan Latham, YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts"}}]},"yoast_head":"\nRELEASE: Voting Rights Advocates and 80+ Organizations Urge Governor Baker to Sign Elections Bill Immediately - 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