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Category: Press Releases

Election Modernization Coalition Praises City Of Boston’s Early Voting Survey

June 9, 2016 / Boston, MA — In an election year that promises to have record turnout, access to the polls will be more important than ever. That is why the Election Modernization Coalition is pleased that the City of Boston has released today a citizen’s survey to inform their early voting plan for this fall. The Coalition is proud to have led the campaign that resulted in the 2014 passage of the Election Modernization bill, which established the “floor” for early voting. This “floor” requires each municipality to offer voting during regular business hours at one location during the two weeks prior to November’s election. Boston has gotten the ball rolling with today’s release and we know that many of Massachusetts’ other 350 cities and towns also have drafts underway. We hope that virtually every community will go above and beyond the minimum requirements set by the law in order to ensure the effectiveness and success of early voting.

To encourage cities and towns to reach farther than the “floor,” our Coalition has issued an Early Voting Challenge, and will award gold and silver medals to towns that rise above the minimum requirements and provide evening and weekend early voting hours and multiple locations in larger cities. We look forward to recognizing all the cities and towns that meet our Challenge later this fall. For more information on the Challenge, please go to www.EarlyVotingMA.com.”

The Election Modernization Coalition is comprised of the ACLU of Massachusetts, Common Cause Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, MassVOTE, the Massachusetts Voter Table, and more.

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LWVMA Announces Winners of “YOUth Should Vote!” Student Video Contest

May 20, 2016 / Boston, MA – The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) today announced the winners of its “YOUth Should Vote!” Student Video Contest, part of LWVMA’s election 2016 statewide voter engagement campaign.

An award ceremony to honor the winners will be held in the House of Representatives Members’ Lounge (3rd floor) at the Massachusetts State House in Boston at 11 a.m. on June 6, 2016. 

The winners are:

First Place:  Matthew Walak and Kevin Zheng, Natick High School (The Reminder Machine)

Second Place:  Makena Binker-Cosen and TJ Mukundan, Brookline High School (Big Dreams)

Third Place:  Marko Deperalta and Allen Zhou, Bedford High School, (Our Right)

Honorable Mention:

Joshua Perlmutter and Kent Perlmutter, Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, Holliston (A Note to Vote);

Kyle Schoenberg, The Bromfield School, Harvard (Dreams);

Justin Roy, Masconomet Regional High School, Middleton (Go Vote);

Samantha Yates, Ann Hasz, Nicole Fiske, Emily Imbrogna, Ben Church, Kevin Burke, Littleton High School (Have a Voice);

Gabe Mangrum, Malachi Waller, Trey Carter, CJ Gallagher, Obed Konadu, Aaron Adu, and Zane Freeman, Doherty Memorial High School, Worcester (I Can Pick);

Allie Smith, Lydia Flaherty, and Haley Donovan, Millis High School ();

Karine Santos, Gabriel Nieves, Edward Rivera, Symphony Dunn, Tehjia Kerr, Reno Joseph, Javon Robinson, and Laporsha Hickson, Madison Park High School, Boston (Stop Complaining, Vote);

Rachel Schultze, Natick High School (The Power of Voting);

John Stanley, Lucas Quintero, and Amelia Murray, Hingham High School (Toothpaste);

Nicholas Charde and Owen Schmidt, Concord-Carlisle Regional High School (We the People).

To help mobilize the youth vote, the League invited Massachusetts high school students to create 30-second public service announcements encouraging young adults to register to vote and turn out at the polls.  Youth turnout in elections routinely lags behind turnout from other age groups; in the 2012 presidential election, voter turnout for Massachusetts citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 was 43.8%, while turnout for Massachusetts citizens 30 and older was 71.7%.

LWVMA will widely distribute and publicize the winning videos and others from the contest as part of a statewide youth get-out-the-vote campaign beginning in late summer and leading up to the November election.

Over 300 students participated in the contest, and the winning videos were selected from entries submitted from across the state. The Judging Committee selected the winning videos based on their clear and compelling messages, memorable content and delivery, and creativity. The winners will receive awards of $1,000 (first place); $500 (second place); $250 (third place); and $50 (honorable mention).

“We were thrilled to receive so many very creative and powerful videos,” said LWVMA Executive Director Meryl Kessler. “There is no doubt that the winning entries will help inspire young people to participate In the November election and help mobilize the youth vote.”

“We are proud of all of the young people who shared their visions and messages through this contest,” said Jean Cherdack, president of LWVMA. “And we are proud that the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts provided them with a platform to make their voices heard.”

The contest was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund, which supports programs designed to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in democracy and increase understanding of public policy issues.

Support for this program was provided by the Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation and the Salem Five Charitable Foundation.

 

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Election Modernization Coalition Lauds Implementation of Online Voter Registration

BOSTON (June 23, 2015) – Today, Secretary of State William Galvin announced the official launch of online voter registration, implementing a long-awaited reform that will allow Massachusetts citizens with signatures on file with the Registry of Motor Vehicles to fill out paperless voter registration applications over the Internet.

The Election Modernization Coalition, comprised of Common Cause Massachusetts, MassVOTE, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, the MIRA Coalition, Progressive Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Voter Table celebrated the launch, and applauded the new technology which they predict will engage new voters.

“We are extremely pleased that Massachusetts will be joining 20 states that have already implemented online voter registration,” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “It’s a proven reform that will bring Massachusetts into the 21st Century and improve voter registration accuracy while increasing opportunities to register to vote.”

Before today, state residents were required to fill out a voter application, sign it in paper form, and then mail or deliver it to an elections official. Now applications can be submitted online and verified by matching information, including signature, already contained in the Registry of Motor Vehicles database. Residents without state IDs or driver’s licenses can print out a form and send it in.

“It’s thrilling that, as of today, voter registration will be available in Massachusetts online,” said Janet Domenitz of MASSPIRG. “In a day and age when so many transactions, tiny and huge, take place via the internet, we look forward to this tool giving more people, and especially young people, greater access to voting.”

Advocates noted that in Arizona, after online voter registration was implemented, registration increased by nearly 10 percent. Maricopa County in Arizona even saved $1.4 million after implementing online voter registration in 2008. In that county, processing a paper registration form cost 83 cents, while an online application cost three cents. Massachusetts, like most other states, will likely see cost savings.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” said Sara Brady, Policy Director at MassVOTE. “We’re very pleased that in 2015 our Commonwealth took another step towards ensuring accessible elections for all with the launch of the new online voter registration system today.”

“Massachusetts is the cradle of liberty and the tech hub of the universe, so online voting is a marriage of two of the commonwealth’s greatest strengths. In other words, it’s a no-brainer,” said Gavi Wolfe of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “The state should always be innovating and seeking out new ways to harness technology in the service of fundamental freedoms like voting.”

The launch of online voter registration is one of the first steps in implementing the Comprehensive Election Modernization Act, passed in 2014 by the Massachusetts legislature and championed by the Election Modernization Coalition. The law established online voter registration, early voting, pre-registration, audits of election equipment and more.

“Our coalition fought hard for this reform, which was signed into law in June 2014, said Anne Borg, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts. “We applaud Secretary William Galvin’s office for their diligence and commitment to launching online voter registration early and fully and look forward to working with them to implement the remaining reforms, especially early voting.”

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Massachusetts League of Women Voters Elects Co-Presidents, Officers, and Directors

BOSTON—Anne Borg of Newton and Jean Cherdack of Ashfield have been elected co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts for the next two years.

Borg is a member of the Newton League, and Cherdack is a member of the Northampton Area League.  They were elected at the state League’s recent convention in West Springfield.

The other state League officers and their local Leagues are Marlene O’Brien, Wellesley, first vice president; Dee Ortner, Concord-Carlisle, second vice president; Karen Price, Needham, third vice president; Shelley Drowns, Waltham, secretary; and Andrea Kozinetz, Newton, treasurer.

Elected as LWVMA directors are Mary Ann Ashton of Acton Area, Roslyn Broch of Williamstown, Nancy Brumback of Sudbury, Melisa Hollenback of Shrewsbury, Carole Pelchat of Greater Haverill, Terry Yoffie of Newton, and Launa Zimmaro of Concord-Carlisle.

The convention also adopted plans for a major voter registration and voter turnout effort centered on the 2016 election and for a strong program promoting civic education and civic engagement

The state League’s other priorities over the coming two years will be the issues of money in politics, climate change and the environment, and addressing income inequality.

The LWV of Massachusetts includes 45 local Leagues across the state.

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues.  Additional information is available at www.lwvma.org.

5/20/2015

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League of Women Voters’ Election Guide Features All Candidates for Statewide Office

9/30/2014 BOSTON—All 21 candidates for statewide offices on the November ballot have answered questions posed by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.

Their responses are presented in a Voters’ Guide to Statewide Offices now available on the League’s website, www.lwvma.org.

The five candidates for governor answered questions on economic development, education, transportation, climate change and health care. Candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor answered questions specific to those offices.

Voters can use the guide to read each candidate’s responses to all the questions or to read all the candidates’ responses to a particular question.

“We hope voters across the Commonwealth will use this voters’ guide to help make informed choices as they go to the polls on Nov. 4,” said Anne Borg, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts. “We are pleased to be able to provide this information and thank all the candidates for their willingness to participate in the guide.”

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization which encourages informed and active participation in government and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues.

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