Boston, MA –Voting rights advocates, public interest groups and a network of state and local
organizations praised the decision Monday by the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee
on Elections Laws to send the VOTES Act to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the first
step in bringing the comprehensive voting bill up for a vote.
The VOTES Act will make several permanent changes to Massachusetts’ election laws,
including: allowing voters to vote by mail without an excuse; expanding early voting options;
establishing same day voter registration; ensuring that the Commonwealth joins the 30-state
Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) to keep voter registration rolls up-to-date;
implementing risk limiting audits, the “gold standard” of post-election audits; making sure that
eligible voters who are incarcerated are able to request a mail ballot and vote; and more.
The VOTES Act is strongly supported by the Massachusetts Election Modernization Coalition, an
umbrella group working to modernize the Commonwealth’s election laws.
“The League of Women Voters applauds the election laws committee for moving quickly to
position the VOTES Act for a vote. It is important for the legislature to pass a permanent,
comprehensive voting bill to assure full access by all eligible citizens and continued smooth
functioning of our election process,” said Patricia Comfort, Executive Director, League of
Women Voters of Massachusetts. “At a time when too many states are restricting voting
access, we are proud of the direction our legislature is taking.”
Read the full press release here.