{"id":247,"date":"2023-09-13T15:41:47","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T19:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/"},"modified":"2023-09-13T15:41:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T19:41:47","slug":"voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting Rights Groups, Residents Overwhelmingly Support Voting ACCESS Act"},"template":"","class_list":["post-247","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Democracy, disability, religious, and homelessness advocates support comprehensive election administration bill","featured_image":"","press_type":146,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7814}"],"related_issues":[97,107,108,109,462],"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":"Advocates and directly impacted citizens testified before the Joint Committee on Election Laws today in support of the <\/span>Voting ACCESS Act<\/span><\/a>, a comprehensive legislative proposal that would modernize Massachusetts\u2019 election administration and eliminate remaining barriers to the ballot box.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"Our work to make democracy more accessible remains unfinished,\u201d said <\/span>Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts. <\/b>\u201cThe Voting ACCESS Act will remove long-standing barriers to voting by enacting same day registration, disability voting oversight, and other reforms to make voting easier for Bay Staters. It is important that this bill be passed and implemented in time for the 2024 presidential election.\"\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cSame Day Voter Registration is a critical step towards eliminating barriers to voting, which disproportionately affect voters of color and low income voters,\u201d said <\/span>Shanique Spalding, executive director of the MA Voter Table.<\/b> \u201cBy adopting the Voting ACCESS Act, our state will send a clear message that every eligible citizen\u2019s voice matters and deserves to be heard.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts applauds the legislature for the steps taken a year ago to make voting easier and more accessible for registered voters. We urge the legislature to build on this progress by passing same-day voter registration and separating the municipal census from inactive voter status. These reforms will ensure eligible citizens can vote and will reduce problems at the polls on Election Day,\" said <\/span>Pattye Comfort, executive director.<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re in the thick of primary season, with the future of local government on the line in communities around the Commonwealth. There\u2019s no more pressing time to call for greater access to the ballot,\u201d said <\/span>Traci Griffith, Racial Justice program director at the ACLU of Massachusetts<\/b>. \u201cEvery barrier that keeps people of color, renters, seniors, people with disabilities \u2013 or, for that matter, any qualified voter \u2013 from casting their vote is a barrier that urgently needs to be dismantled. This is what democracy looks like.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cOur country's democracy is a work in progress,\u201d said <\/span>Janet Domenitz, executive director of MASSPIRG<\/b>. \u201cThat said, some states are going backwards \u2014 putting up barriers to people voting. Let's be a state where things are moving forward \u2014 by passing the Voting Access Act.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cFrom malfunctioning automatic doors to improperly set up AutoMARK machines and inadequate signage, people with disabilities face far too many obstacles when exercising their fundamental right to vote. This bill is a crucial step toward making our elections truly accessible for all,\u201d said <\/span>Barbara L\u2019Italien, executive director of the Disability Law Center<\/b>. \u201cLet\u2019s remove these unnecessary barriers and enhance accessibility, ensuring that every voice is heard in our elections.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"Guided by our values and our commitment to a pluralistic Commonwealth, where ballot access is fundamental, we encourage the Legislature to continue the good and important work of removing remaining barriers to voting\", said <\/span>FayeRuth Fisher, senior director of public affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston.\u00a0<\/b>\r\n\r\n\"Lawyers for Civil Rights demands the expansion of equitable access to the ballot box. The Voting ACCESS Act, true to its name, advances that goal,\u201d said <\/span>Jacob Love, staff attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights.<\/b> \u201cThrough common sense policies like same-day voter registration, it eliminates many of the primary obstacles to voting for traditionally disenfranchised groups. We support this critical legislation and urge lawmakers to enact it.\"<\/span>\r\n\r\nSponsored by Senator Cindy Creem, this legislation contains four key elements:<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Same day voter registration<\/b>, which is already in use in 22 states. (Also filed by Rep. Carmine Gentile)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Decoupling voter registration from the municipal Census,<\/b> which will ensure that not responding to the municipal census will no longer result in being dropped from the active voter rolls. (Also filed by Rep. Frank Moran)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Uniform mail and absentee voting forms and ballots,<\/b> which will reduce costs and workload for local election officials, and reduce confusion from voters. (Also filed by Rep. Shirley Arriaga)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Strengthening accessible polling location oversight, <\/b>which will require the Secretary of State to inspect all voting sites at least once every four years to ensure they comply with federal and state disability accessibility laws. (Also filed by Rep. Kay Khan)<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nMore information on the ACCESS Act is available <\/span>here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s panelists are available for further comment on this legislation. Please contact Geoff Foster (<\/span>gfoster@commoncause.org<\/span><\/a> \/ 978-930-9436) for more information.\u00a0<\/span>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\nVoting Rights Groups, Residents Overwhelmingly Support Voting ACCESS Act - 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\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Voting Rights Groups, Residents Overwhelmingly Support Voting ACCESS Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause Massachusetts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\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\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/voting-rights-groups-residents-overwhelmingly-support-voting-access-act\/\",\"name\":\"Voting Rights Groups, Residents Overwhelmingly Support Voting ACCESS Act - 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