In Boston, voting rights advocates gathered outside City Hall to highlight concerns over the rejection of provisional ballots and to urge lawmakers to pass three proposed bills aimed at expanding access to voting in Massachusetts.
Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, demonstrated by stacking 1,125 pieces of paper on a box labeled “ballots” and placing a sign reading “REJECTED ‘BALLOTS’” on top. This number represents just under half of the provisional ballots rejected in Boston during the November 2024 election.
“This only represents 1125 provisional ballots that were rejected in Boston,” said Rahsaan Hall, director of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. “This many votes, this many opportunities to engage and access our democratic process. Is this what we want democracy to continue to look like?”
The event was organized by MassVOTE and the Election Modernization Coalition, which called for legislative action on three bills: same day voter registration, decoupling the municipal census from voter registration requirements, and improving accessibility for voters with disabilities. These measures are scheduled for a vote by state legislators on September 16.
“We are here because we believe in this city and in this country, we believe in democracy, not just as an idea, but as a lived reality that must include every single voice,” said City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune. “Too often that has not been the case. Too many of our neighbors have been shut out, marginalized, or told directly or indirectly that their vote does not matter, and today, we stand together to change that.”
If enacted, same day voter registration would allow residents to register or update their information on Election Day or during early voting by providing proof of residency. Currently in Massachusetts, voters must register at least ten days before an election. Several other states—including Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont—already have some form of same day registration.
The bill separating local census participation from voter registration would prevent residents who do not respond to the census from being automatically removed from voter rolls; current law requires inactive voters to re-register.
Another bill seeks to address barriers faced by voters with disabilities such as inadequate handicap parking or inaccessible polling places. Barbara L’Italien, executive director of the Disability Law Center said: “It’s time that we start understanding that disability rights are civil rights and they are human rights.” She added her organization found numerous obstacles at polling sites last year—including missing or nonfunctional accessible voting machines—that hindered people with disabilities from voting.
Traci Griffith of the ACLU of Massachusetts emphasized: “The three proposed bills, if passed into law, would remove barriers to voting and ensure equity in elections and strengthen access to the ballot… As proponents of same day voter registration, we believe that no eligible voter should be turned away at the polls due to an error or out
of date voter registration.”
State Representative Carmine Gentile sponsored the same day registration legislation. He stated: “Evidence shows that same day voting increases the number of votes any given election from three to 11 percent. Black and Latino turnout increases two to 17 percent.”
However, House Majority Leader Michael J. Moran expressed skepticism about further reforms: “A few years ago, the House voted to make vote by mail permanent and expand early voting options. The House also voted to push the registration deadline back in order to ensure that eligible residents are able to register to vote up to 10 days before any election… In addition… eligible voters are automatically registered when they engage in transactions with the RMV [Registry of Motor Vehicles], MassHealth and the Health Connector – and they also have the option to register online, by mail or in person. Voters in Massachusetts have ample opportunities to engage in the democratic process.”
Boston’s preliminary election is set for September 9.
