Statement · June 30, 2020
Massachusetts Bill a Good Start, But More Work Ahead
Statement on H.4820, legislation to support Massachusetts voters in the 2020 elections.
BOSTON – Voter Protection Corps Chair Quentin Palfrey today issued the below statement on H.4820, legislation that will begin supporting Massachusetts voters during upcoming elections.
“We are pleased that legislative leaders have taken initial steps to protect voters this fall. We urge Governor Baker to sign the legislation. The bill has some good features, but Massachusetts leaders still have important work ahead to ensure everyone can safely register, vote, and have their votes counted.”
“Since the beginning of the pandemic this spring, voters in elections across the country have faced significant obstacles to registering and voting including long lines, polling place closures, and bureaucratic problems with the processing of registrations, absentee ballots, and mail-in ballots. These challenges have disproportionately affected voters of color, young people, homeless people, and Native Americans.”
“The Voter Protection Corps has conducted an in-depth study of the challenges we expect in-person voters will face in this fall’s elections. Unless there are significant changes, we fear there will be poll worker shortages, polling place closures, voters who are disenfranchised by arbitrary or insufficient registration procedures, and significant racial disparities in the obstacles voters face to registering, voting, and having their votes count.”
“Based on our research, the Voter Protection Corps has proposed a number of steps that states, including Massachusetts, can take to make voting easier, safer, and fairer this fall. Throughout the legislative process, the Voter Protection Corps has provided input and testimony on steps the legislature can take to address the challenges we expect to emerge.”
“The legislation that is likely on its way to the governor takes some — but not all — of the steps we believe are necessary to avoid the kinds of problems we have seen throughout the country. We urge the Governor to sign the bill and we congratulate the legislature for passing an important bill. But there is still work to be done.”
“We suggest that the Secretary of State’s guidance for safe in-person voting include strong protections for neighborhood polling locations, rules against poll closures and consolidation of voting sites, and clear direction on the recruitment, training, and protection of poll workers. In addition, the Secretary’s guidance should instruct municipalities to exercise their authority to expand evening early voting hours and open the additional early voting sites necessary to serve all voters, particularly in underserved areas.”
“In the next legislative session, we hope Massachusetts leaders will take up additional measures that have worked well in other states but that were not included in the final version of the bill. Legislation must include election day registration; measures to ensure that every voter receives a ballot — rather than just an application — in the mail; and measures to ensure that early voting hours are vastly expanded, including the weekend before the election. Massachusetts is the oldest constitutional democracy in the world — we should be a leader in protecting the right to vote.”