The League of Women Voters of the United States has issued a press release regarding the League’s opposition to a rushed Supreme Court nomination in the upcoming weeks. LWVUS board president Deborah Turner and CEO Virginia Kase urge the US Senate to take the time to sufficiently vet any potential nominee, and to prioritize helping the millions of Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read their full statement here.
Massachusetts voters can now request a vote-by-mail ballot online. The new mail-in ballot application system is available at www.MailMyBallotMA.com. See the Election Modernization Coalition’s full statement here.
Registered voters can request a mail-in ballot online, and the request will go directly to their local election official. First the system verifies that you are a registered voter. Then, on the submit screen, it asks if you would like the ballot delivered to an address other than the one on your registration.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth has indicated that ballots will be delivered to local election officials between Oct. 6 and 9, and then the officials can send ballots to those who have requested a mail ballot. Any registered voter can vote by mail in the Nov. 3 election. Mail ballots should be returned to local election officials as soon as possible, either by mail, delivered directly to the election office, or deposited in a secure ballot dropbox. Location of dropboxes is on your town election official website or on the Secretary’s website here. Track your ballot at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com. It will say “pending” if you have already applied for a mail ballot until the election officials have the ballots available to mail to you.
In-person early voting is available Oct. 17-Oct. 30, including on the weekends. Find hours and locations at www.MassEarlyVote.com.
Two ballot questions will be on the statewide ballot Nov. 3. LWVMA has taken no position on Question 1, the “Right to Repair” law. We are supporting a YES vote on Question 2, Ranked Choice Voting.
The questions, summaries, what your vote will do, statements of fiscal consequences, arguments in favor and against, and the full text of the measures are in the official guide to the 2020 ballot questions, the “Information for Voters” red booklet, which will be distributed to the households of all registered voters in September. It will also be posted on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.
See LWVMA’s positions on these ballot questions. See Guidelines on conducting League forums on the ballot questions. Please click here for more resources on the 2020 ballot questions.
Despite the pandemic, Massachusetts voters shattered turnout records in the statewide primary – thanks to an emergency law championed by the Election Modernization Coalition and passed by the state Legislature earlier this summer. As of the morning of Wednesday, September 2nd, 1,469,974 votes were cast in the Senate primary, surpassing the previous record of votes cast in a MA September primary during a presidential election year. Read the EMC’s press release here.
With accelerated climate change bearing down hard across the globe, there is no time to waste. The Massachusetts legislature is in an extended session to continue its work on critical climate change bills to ensure we meet mandated greenhouse gas emissions targets and spur the transition to a clean energy future and economy that works for all residents. See LWVMA’s letter to the members of the Conference Committee here.