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Issues and Action | ||||||||||||||
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Many
reasons may prevent today’s busy citizens from making it to the polls on
Election Day: business travel, working two jobs or working late, caring for
children or elderly relatives.
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Voting is a right, not a
privilege. We must make it easy for all citizens to cast their ballots.
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24 other states facilitate this
by allowing anyone to cast an absentee ballot for any reason. States report that
they were able to successfully administer the increase in absentee ballots, and
that after the first election under the new system, volume became predictable.
Also, none of the officials found any evidence of fraud linked to unconditional
absentee voting.
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The
Massachusetts Constitution allows absentee voting under only three conditions,
if the voter is: away from his city or town, ill or disabled, or has a religious
objection.
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Endorsed by the Chairs of the Election Laws Committee, S.2034 would simply
remove restrictions on absentee voting from the constitution. The procedures for
absentee voting would remain the same.
Because
restrictions on absentee voting are written into the Massachusetts Constitution,
the only way to remove them is via a constitutional amendment. This will
require favorable votes in Constitutional Conventions in two subsequent
sessions, followed by a ballot referendum.
If we get a favorable vote on S.2034 on July 12, we could have it on the ballot
by 2008.
If no vote is taken, we will have to wait until 2010.
The process is long enough – let’s not delay it by another 2 years. Please urge
your legislators to vote in favor of unconditional absentee voting on July 12!
Check here to see if your legislator is a co-sponsor of the absentee voting
amendment. Thank
them and urge them to help us get this amendment passed at the ConCon.
To contact your Representative More information on absentee voting
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