In Massachusetts\u2019 2020 general election, almost 60% of provisional ballots were not counted, according to election data from the Secretary of State\u2019s office. Of the 4,323 provisional ballots issued in the 2020 statewide election, 2,587 ballots were rejected. A \u2018provisional ballot\u2019 is provided to someone who shows up at the polls on Election Day, assuming they are registered, but are told they are not currently on the voter list at the precinct.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nDownload the full data table <\/b>HERE<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/b>\r\n\r\nSee the fact sheet <\/b>HERE<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/b>\r\n\r\nAccording to the Election Modernization Coalition, most, if not all, of these voters could have cast regular ballots if Election Day Registration was the law in Massachusetts. With Election Day Registration, voters who encounter a problem with their registration at the polls can register on the spot and then cast a vote.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn the 20 states with Election Day registration (EDR), officials report that more than half of those who use EDR are people reconciling issues with their registration. <\/span>\u201cThis simple fix could eliminate so much disenfranchisement,\u201d said <\/span>Beth Huang, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe data demonstrates the extent to which voter disenfranchisement is an urban issue. The 2020 provisional ballot rejection totals are greatest in cities, with 72% of rejected ballots in cities and 28% in towns \u2013 despite the fact that the state population is nearly evenly split among cities and towns. Boston accounted for 28%, 731, of the rejected provisional ballots. <\/span>Voting rights advocates attribute this difference to the higher mobility of city residents, more of whom rent housing instead of owning their own homes.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is immensely frustrating that, in communities with the largest Black and brown, low income, and immigrant communities, thousands of individuals tried to vote, but did not have their votes counted,\u201d <\/span>said Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director at MassVOTE. <\/b>\u201cIn Boston, more than 700 individuals attempted to vote, but due to issues with their registration, could not. This is unacceptable. By passing Election Day Registration, we make it possible for officials to update voter registration information on election day, ensuring that all votes that should be counted are counted.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nOther cities accounted for 44%, with the highest totals of rejected ballots in Worcester, 182; Lowell, 149; Taunton, 84; Lawrence, 56; Haverhill, 49; and Newton, 42. By contrast, more than 75% of towns issued five or fewer provisional ballots.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nElection Day voter registration would free town clerks and city election officials from the cumbersome provisional ballot process in most cases, and enable the election official assigned to provisional ballots to instead offer voter registration to people who encounter a problem,\u201d said <\/span>Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts<\/b>, \u201cThis would be a win-win for voters and poll workers alike.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nState law requires that local election officials investigate and resolve all provisional ballots within three days of a state or presidential primary and within twelve days of a state or local election, according to the Secretary of State\u2019s website.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen people come to the polls and think they have voted, they should not have to wonder if that vote will be rejected.\u00a0 Election Day registration lets people fix errors in their voter registration,\u201d said <\/span>Pattye Comfort, executive director, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts. <\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are so many reasons to enact Election Day registration in Massachusetts; this data showing that thousands of people were unnecessarily left out of the 2020 election just piles on to them,\u201d said <\/span>Janet Domenitz, director of MASSPIRG<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cThese are voters who planned to vote, took the time to show up, thought they were making a difference, and their votes were thrown out,\u201d said <\/span>Gavi Wolfe, legislative director at the ACLU of Massachusetts.<\/b> \u201cWe know how to fix this. With Election Day registration every vote counts and every voter\u2019s voice matters.\u201d<\/span>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\n