Election Day is exactly 8 months away: November 8, 2022.
In Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont, prospective voters will be able to register or update their registration at the polls. But in Massachusetts, they won’t be able to because of our arbitrary, exclusionary, and outdated voter registration cutoff.
Late last month, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted in favor of the VOTES Act, pledging their support for making permanent critical electoral reforms like mail-in and early in-person voting. However, the House chose to leave out the heart of the VOTES Act: Election Day Registration (EDR). Now, because the House and Senate versions of the VOTES Act differ, a small group of legislators are finalizing the bill in conference committee.
EDR has been proven to make elections more equitable and efficient in 20 states. By reducing voter registration barriers, EDR boosts voter turnout for all, especially BIPOC, low-income, immigrant, and young voters. It also decreases administrative burdens of running elections by allowing election workers to update registration information on the spot.
But Before November….
Before November will be the primaries on September 6 to determine who advances. And before that will be the party conventions in June that determine who even makes the ballot in the first place.
Over the past month, Democratic ward and town committees have been holding caucuses to elect delegates to the state party convention. If you want to take part, check out the caucus calendar here to see if your caucus has happened yet or is still to come.
And if you didn’t get elected or can’t make your caucus, you might still be able to become a delegate. You can find additional opportunities here.
Know What’s on the Ballot
Do you know what an Attorney General, an Auditor, or a Secretary of the Commonwealth does?
Do you want to know?
And do you want to find out more about what the candidates vying for these important statewide positions plan to do with these offices?
Then join us on Saturday, March 26, at 1 pm for our Spring Candidate Interviews.
All are welcome! Just RSVP here.
In solidarity,
Jonathan Cohn