{"id":231,"date":"2022-06-16T16:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T20:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/"},"modified":"2022-06-16T16:00:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-16T20:00:57","slug":"votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk"},"template":"","class_list":["post-231","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"The bill is the largest expansion of voting access in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in years.\u00a0It makes permanent a number of emergency changes to Massachusetts\u2019 election laws made in 2020 to deal with the pandemic, including allowing voters to vote by mail without an excuse and expanding early voting options.","featured_image":6934,"press_type":146,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7814}"],"related_issues":[100,107,109,462],"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":"

Voting Rights Advocates Urge Governor Baker to sign the VOTES Act into Law<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\r\nBoston, MA \u2014 With the VOTES Act<\/a> now on Governor Baker\u2019s desk, after the Massachusetts House and Senate voted today to enact the comprehensive election reform measure, groups are calling for the Governor\u2019s swift signature. Voting rights advocates, public interest groups and a network of state and local organizations praised the legislation advanced by the House and Senate. The bill, <\/span>An Act Fostering Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity, and Security<\/span><\/i> or the VOTES Act, is the largest expansion of voting access in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in years.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe VOTES Act will make permanent a number of emergency changes to Massachusetts\u2019 election laws made in 2020 to deal with the pandemic, including allowing voters to vote by mail without an excuse and expanding early voting options.\u00a0 The bill also assures that eligible voters who are incarcerated are helped to register, request a ballot, and vote, and requires the Commonwealth to join the 30-state <\/span>Electronic Registration Information Center<\/span><\/a> (ERIC) to keep voter registration rolls up-to-date. The bill reduces the deadline for voter registration prior to an election from 20 days to 10. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe bill, sponsored by State Representative John Lawn and Senator Cindy Creem, is strongly supported by the Massachusetts Election Modernization Coalition, a coalition of advocacy organizations working to modernize the Commonwealth\u2019s election laws.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are excited that the VOTES Act is one step away from making Massachusetts a national leader in election administration and voter access,\u201d said <\/span>Geoff Foster, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts<\/b>. \u201cWe urge the Governor to quickly sign this bill into law, to speed up implementation of the changes before this year\u2019s primary election.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cVoters embraced mail-in voting and expanded early voting in 2020,\u201d said <\/span>Beth Huang, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table<\/b>. \u201cOnce the VOTES Act becomes law, we will educate voters, especially in communities of color and working-class neighborhoods, about these permanent expansions of voting rights.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe applaud the legislature for moving these crucial election reforms forward, and call on Governor Baker to swiftly sign the VOTES Act into law,\u201d said <\/span>Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. <\/b>\u201cAt a time when so many other rights are under attack nationwide, Massachusetts must do all it can to strengthen our democracy and improve access to the ballot box so all eligible Bay Staters can participate in the electoral process.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are proud Massachusetts is actively supporting voters and look forward to the Governor signing this bill,\u201d said <\/span>Patricia Comfort, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts<\/b>. \u201cWe expect voters to use the mail and early voting options as soon as the Sept. 6 primary election.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"We are thrilled that both the House and Senate have voted in support of the VOTES Act,\" <\/span>said Vanessa Snow, Policy and Organizing Director at MassVOTE<\/b>. \"Even though this version of the VOTES Act does lack a provision we have long supported - Election Day Registration - we are very glad to see that popular pro-voter policies like mail-in voting, expanded early voting, and jail-based voting<\/span> are included, and will soon become law. We urge Governor Baker to sign the VOTES Act as quickly as possible.\"<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWhatever sport you\u2019re following right now, signing this bill is either a home run, a slam dunk, or a hole in one. All of us win when voting is made more accessible and that\u2019s what the VOTES Act will accomplish,\u201d said<\/span> Janet Domenitz, Executive Director of MASSPIRG.\u00a0<\/b>\r\n\r\nNationwide, some state legislatures are creating barriers to their residents\u2019 right to vote. Since the begin\u00adning of 2021, <\/span>18 states have passed laws<\/span><\/a> to limit voting access \u2013 laws that can <\/span>dispro\u00adpor\u00adtion\u00adately affect voters of color<\/span><\/a>. Another <\/span>574 bills that restrict voter access<\/span><\/a> or election administration are currently pending.<\/span>\r\n\r\nGovernor Baker has ten days to sign the bill, veto it, or return it to the legislature with recommended amendments. Any veto by the governor can be overridden with a two-thirds vote in both legislative branches.<\/span>\r\n

----------<\/p>\r\n

The Election Modernization Coalition is made up of Common Cause Massachusetts, ACLU of Massachusetts, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MassVOTE, the Massachusetts Voter Table, MASSPIRG, and Lawyers for Civil Rights.<\/span><\/i><\/p>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\nVOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk - Common Cause Massachusetts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause Massachusetts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/VOTES-Act.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/\",\"name\":\"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk - Common Cause Massachusetts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-16T20:00:57+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/\",\"name\":\"Common Cause Massachusetts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk - Common Cause Massachusetts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk","og_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/","og_site_name":"Common Cause Massachusetts","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":2000,"url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/VOTES-Act.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/","name":"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk - Common Cause Massachusetts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2022-06-16T20:00:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/votes-act-heads-to-governors-desk\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"VOTES Act Heads to Governor’s Desk"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/","name":"Common Cause Massachusetts","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Common Cause Massachusetts","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}