Your Voter Guide for The Upcoming Election

Election Day is less than three weeks away. Do you have a plan to vote?

Fortunately, you have options for how to vote this year (and, indeed, you may have already voted!):

Vote by mail: If you haven’t sent in a vote-by-mail application yet and wish to do so, you can download a form here. If you’ve already received your ballot, you can send it back via mail or via a dropbox near you. And if you want to confirm receipt, you can track your ballot.
Vote early in person: Early voting starts this weekend. You can find locations in your community here.
Vote on Election Day: As always, you can confirm your polling place at wheredoivotema.com.

And remember, the deadline to register to vote or update your registration is Saturday, October 29. You can register online here if you need to.

Your Progressive Guide to the Statewide Ballot Initiatives

YES ON 1: Fair Share Amendment

The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com.

YES on 2: Better Dental Care

In Massachusetts, we have a law that requires medical insurance plans to spend at least 88% of all money taken in by premiums on health care or efforts to improve the quality of health care delivery. However, no such requirement exists for dental insurance, enabling insurance companies to siphon off as much as they want to line executives’ pockets. Question 2 would establish such a requirement for dental insurance plans so that dental insurance premiums go toward care, rather than profit, and strengthen financial transparency and regulation of dental insurance companies.

YES on 4: Safer Roads

A YES on 4 would uphold the Work & Family Mobility Act, a bill passed by 75% of the MA Legislature that would allow qualified drivers – regardless of immigration status – to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license and legally drive in Massachusetts. By voting YES ON 4, Massachusetts voters will ensure that immigrants without status can legally make essential trips, like dropping off kids at school and getting to work, medical appointments, and the grocery store, while upholding the regulatory framework that ensures all drivers have passed a road test, bought insurance, and have a form of verified identification. Learn more and get involved at https://saferroadsma.com/.

Wait, Is There a 5 or a 6, too?

In select state representative districts, there are non-binding advisory questions as well, and if you see them on your ballot, you should also vote YES:

YES on 5, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support legislation to create a single payer health care system in Massachusetts so that we finally treat health care as a right, not a privilege.
YES on 6, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support a change to the MA House’s rules enabling all legislative committee’s votes to be public, posted online as they are on most other states.

Both are clear and simple; you should vote YES, and your state representative should listen.

Legislative Endorsements

As a reminder, our members have endorsed the following candidates:

State Senate

Hampden, Hampshire & Worcester: Jake Oliveira

Norfolk, Worcester & Middlesex: Becca Rausch

Second Suffolk: Liz Miranda

First Worcester: Robyn Kennedy

State House

3rd Bristol: Carol Doherty

7th Essex: Manny Cruz

8th Middlesex: James Arena-DeRosa

22nd Middlesex: Teresa English

27th Middlesex: Erika Uyterhoeven

9th Norfolk: Kevin Kalkut

11th Plymouth: Rita Mendes

5th Suffolk: Christopher Worrell

15th Suffolk: Sam Montaño

11th Worcester: Stephen Fishman

17th Worcester: David LeBoeuf

District Attorney

Plymouth County: Rahsaan Hall

Election Day Is One Month and One Day Away. Let’s Get to Work.

Election Day is one month and one day away. That’s right: November 8 is coming fast.

And there are many opportunities, all across Massachusetts, to help ensure victory for Question 1 and Question 4 this November.

Question 1: The Fair Share Amendment

As a reminder, Question 1, the Fair Share Amendment, would add a 4% surtax to the portion of someone’s annual income over $1 million to raise $2 billion in constitutionally dedicated funds for public education and transportation across the Commonwealth. 99+% of us won’t pay a penny more, but we will all benefit from the investments the revenue would make possible.

Those investments can mean greater funding for early education, for more teachers and counselors in our schools, for lowering tuition and hiring faculty and at our public colleges and universities, for fixing potholes, for upgrading structurally deficient bridges, and for expanding access to high-quality public transit.

Here’s how you can help:

Find a canvass near you.
Sign up for a phone bank.
Sign up for a relational organizing training.

Question 4: The Work & Family Mobility Act / YES for Safer Roads

As a reminder, in June over 75% of Massachusetts State Senators and Representatives voted to override a gubernatorial veto so that all qualified state residents, regardless of immigration status, can apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license starting on July 1, 2023, joining 18 other states with such laws including our neighbors New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Unfortunately, xenophobes and reactionaries in the state are trying to overturn this and are hoping to repeal it by ballot. But we won’t let them.

Vote YES to keep the law in place for safer roads, greater public safety, and work and family mobility.

Find a canvass near you.
Sign up for a phone bank.
Pledge to vote YES on Question 4 here.

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What Just Happened at the State House & What’s Happening Next Week

Last week was an exciting week at the Massachusetts State House, as both the House and Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto of the Work & Family Mobility Act, making Massachusetts the 17th state to ensure that all qualified residents, regardless of immigration status, are able to get a driver’s license.

You can see how your legislators voted below.

VOTES Act Advances…But With a Big Gap

Last week, the House and Senate released their final version of the VOTES Act. The bill contains many important reforms, like making the option to vote early-by-mail permanent, expanding early voting options, and strengthening the protections for jail-based voting. Unfortunately, however, the House’s opposition to Same Day Registration carried the day, and Massachusetts will continue to lag behind our neighbors with our arbitrary and exclusionary voter registration cutoff. The bill would shorten the deadline from 20 days before an election to 10 days, but that’s still 10 days too many.

The bill passed the Senate last week and is on track to pass the House soon.

Read a full write-up of the bill here.

The ‘Segrenomics’ of Education

Many of the educational issues and controversies we face today — state takeovers, standardized testing, charter schools, many more — have interconnected historical roots and mutually reinforcing current impacts that result in huge gaps in school quality and huge gaps in student opportunity. Understanding that history is crucial for finding solutions.

Join the important discussion with Dr. Rooks about her research on: segrenomics, connecting the dots between economics with segregated schooling and community organizers from across the state on their work.

RSVP here.

Event info for "The Segrenomics of Education"

Community Forum on Suffolk & Plymouth County DA Races

We’ll be joining community partners from the Justice for Massachusetts coalition for a forum with the Suffolk and Plymouth County DA candidates on Monday, June 20, from 6 pm to 9 pm.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Kevin Hayden (Suffolk County)

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Rahsaan Hall (Plymouth County)

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Ricardo Arroyo (Suffolk County)

RSVP here.

Your Plans for this Weekend (…And the Next…and the Next…)? Canvassing for Fair Share!

Find a canvass near you at https://www.mobilize.us/fairshareamendment2022/.

election modernization elections immigrants rights revenue

House and Senate Override Baker’s Veto of the Work & Family Mobility Act

Earlier this week, the House (Wednesday) and Senate (Thursday) voted by overwhelming margins to override Governor Charlie Baker’s veto of the Work & Family Mobility Act, which would allow any qualified driver—regardless of immigration status—to obtain a driver’s license.

The success was the testament to the hard work of the Driving Families Forward coalition, led by SEIU 32BJ and the Brazilian Workers Center (along with Field First), as well as bill sponsors Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) and Christine Barber (D-Somerville) in the House and Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and Adam Gomez (D-Springfield).

Sixteen states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico already allow residents the right to apply for driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status, including our neighbors New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. And Massachusetts is poised to be next.

The bill is a win-win all around. It recognizes the essential contributions of our immigrant brothers and sisters, who often depend on a car to get to work, to school, to the hospital, etc. Immigration status shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a license. The bill would help make the roads safer for all, lower insurance rates, bring in more revenue for the state (through license fees), and strengthen our economy.

You can see the final votes below.

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MA Senate Passes Work & Family Mobility Act 32 to 8

Earlier today, the MA Senate joined the House in passing the Work & Family Mobility Act, which would allow any qualified driver—regardless of immigration status—to obtain a driver’s license, by an overwhelming, veto-proof margin of 32 to 8. Five Democrats—Nick Collins (D-South Boston), Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton), Walter Timilty (D-Milton), and John Velis (D-Westfield) joined the three Republicans—Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth), and Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) in opposing it.

The success of the bill was the testament to the hard work of the Driving Families Forward coalition, led by SEIU 32BJ and the Brazilian Workers Center, and the sponsors Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and Adam Gomez (D-Springfield).

Before voting on passage, the Senate rejected five right-wing amendments.

The Senate voted 31-8 against an amendment from Bruce Tarr that would have required the RMV to issue licenses of a different color to immigrants without status, a move that would open the door to discrimination police entanglement with immigration enforcement. If you are driving and a police officer asks to see your license, there is no reason why that police officer needs to know whether or not you are a citizen; there is simply no bearing.

This vote was similar to the final vote on the bill, but with Michael Moore (D-Auburn) and Nick Collins (D-South Boston) flipping and Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) not casting a vote (which she only does on votes she deems especially important).

The Senate voted 32 to 7 against another amendment from Tarr requiring licenses to be marked “Not valid for identification” with bold text, again opening the door to stigma, discrimination, and entanglement with federal immigration enforcement. The only difference from the final vote was Nick Collins joining Democrats.

The Senate voted 29 to 10 against an amendment from Ryan Fattman requiring the RMV to pass on information on license-holders to city and town clerks, a pointless and costly exercise that is rooted merely in Republican myths around voter fraud. We already have non-citizen drivers (e.g., green card recipients) who have obtained a license but are not eligible to vote: earning a license has nothing to do with your ability to vote. Moreover, there is already a system in place at the RMV, MassHealth, and the Health Connector to account for this in the AVR system. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) and Michael Moore (D-Auburn) joined the bill’s opponents in voting for it.

The Senate voted 30 to 9 against another amendment from Tarr to require the RMV to provide information on the holder of a license in response to any request from any commonwealth agency pursuant to any criminal or civil investigation. Unnecessary information sharing would have a chilling impact and reduce the number of applicants, who would be afraid that their information could be passed on to ICE. John Keenan (D-Quincy) and Michael Moore (D-Auburn) joined the bill’s opponents, but Nick Collins voted with fellow Democrats.

The Senate finally voted 31 to 7 against another disingenuous amendment from Tarr to require that applicants attest that they will not use the license for identification or to register to vote, an amendment that serves no real purpose in a state where you don’t need an ID to vote other than to fear-monger about non-existent voter fraud. Collins joined fellow Democrats in voting against the amendment.

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Follow-ups to Tonight’s “Lobby & Learn Event”

Thank you to all of you who joined us earlier this evening, and to those who couldn’t join: we missed you! And thank you to all four of our wonderful presenters: Crystel Murrieta-Ruiz, Cabell Eames, Sana Fadel, and Vanessa Snow!

You can watch the video from tonight’s event here: https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveMass/videos/526092582299567.
If you are interested in making calls to voters in key districts for any of the bills, please let me know! (Phone-banking the friendly folks on our list is fun!) And if you want to be notified if we organize a phone bank around one of them, let me know as well.

Work & Family Mobility Act

The Senate will be voting tomorrow (or if you read this in the morning, “today”). You can join the virtual watch party at 11AM, which is when the Senate will begin session. Register using the following link: https://bit.ly/dff-senate-watch-party.

Don’t forget to email and call your Senators ahead of Thursday to ensure they are committed to voting “YES” in favor of driver’s licenses.

And then remind a few friends as well.

Climate Action

Cabell spoke about hearings this week on the Future of Gas Report (https://thefutureofgas.com/sep), which was written by consultants hired by the public gas utility companies in Massachusetts (Eversource, National Grid, Berkshire, Liberty and Unitil), in response to a request from the Attorney General for the DPU to do a study on how gas companies can meet Massachusetts’ mandatory emissions reductions. Instead of doing that investigation themselves, the DPU handed it over to the gas companies. The DPU is now reviewing the consultants’ report and the companies’ plans and trying to assess the claims and assumptions made. You can find instructions on how to submit testimony (due by 5 pm on Friday) here.

One of the priority bills for the Mass Renews Alliance that Cabell mentioned is the Building Justice with Jobs bill (S.2226 / H.3365), which would adopt housing regulations mandating minimum energy efficiency, energy performance, or related energy standards and put thousands of MA residents to work retrofitting 100,000 homes each year to improve energy efficiency and health outcomes, and reduce utility bills and carbon emissions. We have a fact sheet with sample scripts and talking points here: https://www.progressivemass.com/issues/building-justice-jobs-2021-action.

Cabell also mentioned the Mass Power Forward press conference and lobby day next Thursday from 11 am to 1 pm at the State House. You can RSVP for that (and learn more) here.

Raise the Age

Sana had excellent slides about the Raise the Age bill ( H.1826 / S.920), which would improve public safety and reduce youth entanglement with the criminal legal system by allowing 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to not be automatically tried as adults. The coalition has an excellent website, with a sample script for contacting your legislators: https://www.raisetheagema.org/.

Election Day Registration

This is the article Vanessa mentioned about provisional ballots: https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2022/04/27/provisional-ballots-massachusetts-2020-election-rejected-common-cause/.

The Election Modernization Coalition will be holding an informal in-person lobby day next Wednesday 5/11 @11am in the State House. More details to come, but RSVP to gfoster@commoncause.org if you can attend.

The four Democrats on the six-person Conference Committee are Senators Barry Finegold (Andover, Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury) and Cindy Creem (Brookline, Newton, Wellesley) and Representatives Mike Moran (Allston-Brighton, and a tiny bit of Brookline) and Dan Ryan (Charlestown, Chelsea). If you know people in their districts, urge them to contact their legislators! The Senators both support EDR and need backing; the two reps do not support it and need pressure. Please also write to your own legislators urging them to contact the Conference Committee in support of Election Day Registration.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

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This Wednesday: Our Legislative Update & Action Evening

Can you believe that it’s May already? That means warmer weather, blooming flowers, and both upcoming deadlines at the Legislature and opportunities to take action.

Wednesday, May 4: Lobby & Learn Evening

Join us this Wednesday, 5/4, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm to learn more about some of our top legislative priorities and how to take action to support them.

The first hour will consist of info sessions on legislation. The second hour will consist of breakout groups for taking action in this critical part of the session.

Featured Speakers:

Chrystel Murrieta, Political Coordinator, SEIU 32BJ
Cabell Eames, Political Director, 350 Mass / Better Future Project
Sana Fadel, Deputy Director, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
Vanessa Snow, Director of Organizing & Policy, MassVOTE

This Thursday: The MA Senate Votes on the Work & Family Mobility Act

Our event on Wednesday is timely because the next day, the MA Senate will be voting on the Work & Family Mobility Act.

Allowing Bay Staters to apply for driver’s licenses, regardless of immigration status, is common sense public policy that improves public safety for all Massachusetts families.

Please email your state senator to urge them to VOTE YES on the Work & Family Mobility Act this week!

Saturday, May 7: Free Our Mothers Car Rally in Framingham

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, but not everyone will have the opportunity to spend quality time with their mother due to a carceral system that rips families apart.

Join Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls for their annual car rally in Framingham this Saturday (May 7) 1 pm to 3 pm. Come let the community know—No New Women’s Prison, No Old Women’s Prison, No More Women’s Prison.

To get more details, RSVP here.

Take Action to Address the Housing Affordability Crisis!

Massachusetts has an affordability crisis, and cities and towns lack the tools to adequately respond.

That’s why we’ve been working in coalition with groups across the state to pass Real Estate Transfer Fee Enabling Legislation (H.137S.868: An Act empowering cities and towns to impose a fee on certain real estate transactions to support affordable housing). These bills would enable cities and towns to impose a modest fee on high-end real estate transactions to create a funding source for affordable housing.

The bill faces an important deadline of May 9th (one week from today) in the Joint Committee on Housing. If no action is taken by this date, the session will be over for this bill.

Can you email House & Senate Leadership in support of this key bill?

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How to Take Action in Support of Immigrants’ Rights

Earlier today, our friends at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition held their annual Immigrants’ Day at the State House. The event celebrated victories such as the transformative Driving Families Forward campaign and House vote, a successful and inclusive Redistricting campaign, our Commonwealth’s growing number of immigrant and BIPOC officeholders and candidates, and the promise that these developments hold for creating a more welcoming, safe, and just Commonwealth for immigrants and refugees.

But the work isn’t done yet. And here’s how you can play your part.

Get the Work & Family Mobility Act Over the Finish Line!

The Work & Family Mobility Act would extend eligibility for Massachusetts standard driver’s licenses to all qualified state residents, regardless of immigration status. The bill ensures that all drivers are trained, licensed, and insured, and removes unlicensed driving as a key entry point to the deportation pipeline.

After a House supermajority vote for passage on February 16, the bill is poised for passage by the Senate. Let’s make Massachusetts the 19th jurisdiction (17 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) to issue licenses to all qualified drivers.

Contact your State Senator and ask them to support the bill!

Are they already a supporter? That’s awesome! You can still thank them for their support and ask them to urge Senate Leadership to bring the bill to the floor as soon as possible.

Pass the Safe Communities Act!

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the impact of decades of state and local involvement in deportations—undermining testing, treatment and contract tracing efforts in immigrant communities and impeding access to court and police protection for immigrant victims of exploitation and crime.

The Safe Communities Act would restore trust in local institutions by ending the use of our public safety resources for federal immigration enforcement. Given the Biden Administration’s failure to end local entanglement with ICE, this bill is as important as ever. The Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security has until May 4th to recommend the bill for passage.

Email your legislatorsand ask them to weigh in with the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security before May 4th!

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Your Calendar, Marked

It’s time to spring into action. Here are some upcoming events to put on your calendar.

Saturday, 3/26: Progressive Mass Spring Statewide Candidate Interviews

2022 is a busy year, with open AG and Auditor races and a contested Secretary of the Commonwealth race.

Join fellow activists across Massachusetts on Saturday, March 26, from 1 pm to 4 pm, as we interview candidates for these offices about how they will advance a progressive agenda.

RSVP here.

Tuesday, 3/29: Immigrants’ Day at the State House

Immigrants’ Day at the State House is an annual tradition from our ally MIRA, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Each spring, MIRA brings together hundreds of immigrants and refugees to the State House to hear from public officials and advocate for legislative and budget priorities.

The event will be held in a virtual space for safety and public health reasons, with a speaking program with built-in digital advocacy opportunities, followed by regional “roundtables” with legislators co-hosted by MIRA member organizations.

Join us to advocate for our pro-immigrant budget and legislative agenda. The event will focus on the Safe Communities Act, the Work and Family Mobility Act, the Language Access and Inclusion Act, the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Act, and several budget line-items.

RSVP here.

Immigrants' Day (virtually) at the State House 2022

Saturday, April 9: Spring into Action for Common Start

Join the Common Start Coalition to celebrate the milestones of the campaign and to hear how

YOU can help us ensure a stronger future for every child!

Saturday, April 9, 11 am to 1 pm, Boston Common

In addition to learning more about our next steps, the day will include opportunities for child and family fun! Buses to the Boston Common will be provided from certain areas. Stay tuned for more details!

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Let’s Talk about Upcoming Votes

Tomorrow, the MA House is voting on a bill to generate revenue for an offshore wind investment fund and establish a slate of tax credits and incentives to promote offshore wind.

Massachusetts is well-positioned to be a leader in the renewable energy economy, but as we grow that sector, it is important that we make sure that all communities, especially the underserved, can benefit from the new opportunities provided.

Urge your state rep to support Amendment #10: Environmental Justice and Economic Opportunity, which would strengthen the diversity and inclusion provisions in the bill.

The Work & Family Mobility Act: What’s Next?

Last month, the MA House voted 120 to 36 to pass the Work & Family Mobility Act (often referred to as the “Driver’s License Bill”), which would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card regardless of immigrant status.

The case for the bill is clear. Many MA residents depend on a car to get to work, to school, to the hospital, etc., and immigration status shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a license. If all drivers have passed the same test and know the same rules of the road, and are properly insured, we all benefit from the safer roads that result.

Despite this, the bill had been stalled in the Legislature session after session. But the years of hard work done by advocates, especially those from immigrant-led organizations, paid off.

But the work isn’t done.

The bill now goes to the State Senate. Email your state senator to vote YES and to urge Senate Leadership to take up the bill as soon as possible!