Our LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Our
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
In the last few years, Massachusetts lawmakers have made important progress by passing the VOTES Act to strengthen our democracy. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. That’s why, in the 2023-2024 legislative session, Partners In Democracy is working with partner organizations and lawmakers to get more improvements across the finish line. We’re supporting a suite of legislation to expand the right to vote, the right to run for office, and the right to see and shape our communities.
In the last few years, Massachusetts lawmakers have made important progress by passing the VOTES Act to strengthen our democracy. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. That’s why, in the 2023-2024 legislative session, Partners In Democracy is working with partner organizations and lawmakers to get more improvements across the finish line. We’re supporting a suite of legislation to expand the right to vote, the right to run for office, and the right to see and shape our communities.
If you’re a Massachusetts resident, your voice can make a big difference — contact your lawmakers and urge them to support these bills! Our friends at the Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement (MAPLE) have created a powerful tool you can use to contact your legislators — MAPLE makes it easy to submit your testimony and get it sent directly to the right people. Here are the bills we’re supporting, and links to weigh in on MAPLE:
Also known as the Voting ACCESS Act, this comprehensive bill includes multiple voting rights measures like same-day registration, ensuring polling places are accessible for voters with disabilities, and more. House lawmakers have put forward individual standalone bills on each of these measures (read on).
Same-day voter registration would be a crucial step forward on voting rights and is already in place in 22 other states. By allowing people to register to vote on Election Day, we can minimize barriers and make voting more accessible, especially for folks who rent or are dealing with housing instability — ensuring more people can make their voice heard.
In our current system, if voters don’t respond to their municipal census, they are marked as “inactive” voters and forced to present voter I.D. in order to vote — which affects 700,000 Massachusetts voters each year. This bill decouples voter registration from the municipal census to stop that from happening, and protect the right to vote.
This basic, common-sense, and overdue change would require accessibility inspections of polling places — protecting voting rights for voters with disabilities and ensuring all polling places are accessible to all voters.
Along with its accompanying bill in the Senate, S.428, this is a key step to strengthen the right to vote by restoring voting rights for people who are currently incarcerated because of a felony conviction.
This bill would make voting easier and less confusing by streamlining the materials used for mail and absentee voting. This change would also streamline the process for election officials, reducing workload and election costs.
Currently, people who aren’t enrolled in either major party can’t serve on the boards of registrars — entities that play a critical role in our elections. But right now, the majority of voters in our state are not enrolled in a party — meaning most people are barred from serving. This bill would change that, and allow unenrolled people to serve on boards of registrars.
This bill would allow communities to adopt ranked choice voting, without having to seek approval from the state. By removing barriers so that our towns and cities can more easily enact election rules that work for them, we can expand the right to see and shape our communities for all Massachusetts residents.
The Home Rule Petitions providing for ranked choice voting in individual towns and cities. A number of towns have already voted to usher in ranked choice voting, but they are waiting on the state legislature to approve the change. Please help us advocate for the Home Rule Petitions of the following towns (especially if you live there!):
If you’re a Massachusetts resident, your voice can make a big difference — contact your lawmakers and urge them to support these bills! Our friends at the Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement (MAPLE) have created a powerful tool you can use to contact your legislators — MAPLE makes it easy to submit your testimony and get it sent directly to the right people. Here are the bills we’re supporting, and links to weigh in on MAPLE:
— also known as the Voting ACCESS Act. This comprehensive bill includes multiple voting rights measures like same-day registration, ensuring polling places are accessible for voters with disabilities, and more. House lawmakers have put forward individual standalone bills on each of these measures (read on).
Same-day voter registration would be a crucial step forward on voting rights and is already in place in 22 other states. By allowing people to register to vote on Election Day, we can minimize barriers and make voting more accessible, especially for folks who rent or are dealing with housing instability — ensuring more people can make their voice heard.
In our current system, if voters don’t respond to their municipal census, they are marked as “inactive” voters and forced to present voter I.D. in order to vote — which affects 700,000 Massachusetts voters each year. This bill decouples voter registration from the municipal census to stop that from happening, and protect the right to vote.
This basic, common-sense, and overdue change would require accessibility inspections of polling places — protecting voting rights for voters with disabilities and ensuring all polling places are accessible to all voters.
Along with its accompanying bill in the Senate, S.428, this is a key step to strengthen the right to vote by restoring voting rights for people who are currently incarcerated because of a felony conviction.
This bill would make voting easier and less confusing by streamlining the materials used for mail and absentee voting. This change would also streamline the process for election officials, reducing workload and election costs.
Currently, people who aren’t enrolled in either major party can’t serve on the boards of registrars — entities that play a critical role in our elections. But right now, the majority of voters in our state are not enrolled in a party — meaning most people are barred from serving. This bill would change that, and allow unenrolled people to serve on boards of registrars.
This bill would allow communities to adopt ranked choice voting, without having to seek approval from the state. By removing barriers so that our towns and cities can more easily enact election rules that work for them, we can expand the right to see and shape our communities for all Massachusetts residents.
The Home Rule Petitions providing for ranked choice voting in individual towns and cities. A number of towns have already voted to usher in ranked choice voting, but they are waiting on the state legislature to approve the change. Please help us advocate for the Home Rule Petitions of the following towns (especially if you live there!):
Want to get more involved with our advocacy in our state legislature and beyond? Sign up to volunteer with us today!
