Geoff Foster Executive Director Common Cause Massachusetts | Official website
Geoff Foster Executive Director Common Cause Massachusetts | Official website
The Massachusetts Election Modernization Coalition recently conducted a series of town hall meetings in Brockton, Lawrence, and Springfield to discuss voter experiences and the Voting ACCESS Act. These discussions focused on making elections more accessible for communities of color and low-income areas. Over 100 voters participated, emphasizing the need for reforms such as Same-Day Registration and improved accessibility at polling stations.
Senator Cindy Creem's proposed legislation, S.410, known as the Voting ACCESS Act, was a key topic during these meetings. The bill aims to decouple the annual municipal census from voter registration and simplify forms for no-excuse voting by mail. Geoff Foster of Common Cause Massachusetts expressed confidence that this act could make elections more inclusive: “We are encouraged by the number of engaged, energized community members... who joined us for meaningful conversations about voting access.”
Janet Domenitz from MASSPIRG highlighted the importance of dismantling barriers to voting: “It’s an exciting and important time to take down every barrier to voting.” Cheryl Crawford from MassVOTE noted that these discussions underscore the necessity of accessible electoral processes: “The town hall discussions highlight the importance of ensuring voting access for every Massachusetts resident.”
Sophia Hall from Lawyers for Civil Rights emphasized that the town halls were held in diverse communities to better understand their challenges with accessing ballots: “The Voting ACCESS Act is intended to reflect these real-life experiences.” Shanique Spalding from MA Voter Table shared stories from voters facing obstacles on election day.
Barbara L’Italien from the Disability Law Center stressed including potential voters in gateway cities like Brockton, Lawrence, and Springfield in conversations about democracy. Traci Griffith from ACLU underscored ongoing efforts until all eligible citizens can vote freely.
Patricia Comfort from League of Women Voters highlighted that removing barriers remains unfinished work: "One major takeaway... is that our work to remove barriers... remains unfinished."
Provisional ballot data analysis suggested high rejection rates might have been mitigated with same-day registration. In 2022, cities saw 68% provisional ballot rejections compared to towns' 32%, despite similar populations.
More details on the Voting ACCESS Act are available online.
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