Massachusetts weighs massive expansion of voting rights
Opponents of a push to make permanent major voter expansions — including early voting and mail-in voting — clashed with Democrats leading the charge.
“The pandemic is coming to an end and we have to think about whether we want to make some of these changes permanent,” said state Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, opening Wednesday’s hearing.
Lawmakers took testimony on over two dozen voting-related bills including the so-called VOTES bill. The sweeping proposal that would make permanent many of the popular pandemic-era voting expansions is sponsored by more than 100 lawmakers.
In addition to universal mail-in voting and early voting expansions, the massive voting rights package would also legalize same-day registration and make it easier for jailed residents who are still eligible to vote, per state law, to cast their ballots. Correctional facilities would be required to provide, distribute and collect election materials, with a voting czar assigned at each facility, according to the bill.
State Rep. Shawn Dooley, R-Norfolk, whose district includes four jails and prisons, said, “I’m concerned as a representative of one of the communities that houses the prison population for the state” that this legislation “be somehow adjusted so it sticks to their principal residence.”
Dooley noted residence changes could have a “dramatic” population effect on the small towns he serves.
Testimony from Paul Diego Craney, spokesperson for MassFiscal, focused more on the calendar.
“In only a matter of days, Massachusetts will have virtually no pandemic-related restrictions left. All of the New England states are now moving toward this shared goal. Voters should get used to daily life returning to normal and that includes in-person voting by next year’s elections,” he said.
GOP Chairman Jim Lyons agreed, “I’m absolutely against it, don’t think we need it. We ought to be voting on Election Day.”
CJ Holmes of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan organization that promotes the responsible use of technology in elections, raised hacking concerns.
“We argue in opposition for security and not for access,” Holmes said. “At a time when election security and public confidence are under attack, electronic return of voter ballots presents a slippery slope to vulnerable and untrustworthy elections.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/341Rbgu
Post a Comment