Some temporary measures designed to make voting easier in Massachusetts remain in place due to COVID-19 for municipal elections around the state next week. Some Democrats are moving to make provisions such as early voting permanent. At the same time, some Republican lawmakers want to create new rules, including a voter identification requirement.Early voting and mail in voting arecredited with a historic high level of voter turnout in Massachusetts in 2020, when nearly 3.7 million residents voted. That beat the previous record by 300-thousand votes.
The Massachusetts Senate has approved the Democrat favored voting provisions included in what is called the Massachusetts VOTES Act. It is now before the Massachusetts House.
“These reforms, which received overwhelming bipartisan support, helped increase civic engagement and enabled residents to vote safely, securely and easily," Sen.Barry Finegold, who chairs the Committee on Election Laws for the Senate, said in debate before the bill passed the senate on a 36-3 vote.
Voter identification requirements favored by Republicans that have been proposed in many other states are under consideration in Massachusetts too. Several pending bills would require voter identification. The state Republican Party also is trying to put the issue on the 2022 state ballot.
"What's clear to me, after serving eight years as a state lawmaker, is that Beacon Hill will never so much as debate the merits of voter ID laws, and that's why we're taking this question straight to the people,"said MassGOP Chariman Jim Lyons, when launching the initiative petition drive.
Joining And Another Thing to discuss proposed Massachusetts voting law changes are:
- State Rep.Lenny Mirra (R-Georgetown)
- State Sen.Jo Comerford (D-Northampton)
- Geoff Foster, Executive Director Common Cause Massachusetts