HYANNIS – Organizations across the state are urging Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and others in state government to pass legislation to protect voters from COVID-19 in the upcoming fall elections.
The organizations which number more than fifty include Common Cause Massachusetts, ACLU Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, and MassVOTE.
They sent a letter asking for reforms to the voting system to ensure safe and participatory elections during the pandemic.
Some of the requests in the letter included expanding mail voting, expanding early voting windows, reducing or eliminating the registration deadline, and changes to make sure voters and poll workers can practice safe social distancing.
The letter also makes requests for administrative fixes, such as central tabulation of ballots that would make it easier to manage the increase in absentee and mail-in ballots.
“We know the legislation and leadership are working hard to respond to immense and immediate challenges,” said Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts Pam Wilmot in a statement.
“However, preparing for next fall’s elections is not a problem that can be dealt with later. Wisconsin’s primary elections last week gave us a glimpse into what ‘business as usual’ elections in the time of COVID could look like, and that is a state that is ahead of Massachusetts in respect to absentee balloting,” said Wilmot.
“The Legislature needs to act now to ensure that voters can cast ballots without risking their health, their lives, and that of their loved ones–and have those votes counted.”
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