BOSTON (State House News Service) — Lawmakers who proposed a sweeping set of permanent election reforms will first aim to secure an extension to the pandemic-era changes to ensure that residents are able to vote by mail in this spring's municipal elections.
While outlining their legislation Wednesday to make mail-in voting a permanent feature and implement same-day voter registration, Rep. John Lawn and Sen. Cynthia Creem told reporters they would seek action in the coming weeks on a short-term bill keeping the COVID election reforms in place for local contests.
Creem has filed a bill (SD 189) allowing voters to cast early mail-in ballots and local officials to open an in-person early voting period in any municipal elections through Dec. 31. Those provisions are set to expire March 31 under current law.
Lawn said that he believes lawmakers are interested in extending a municipal mail-in voting provision through June.
"We're hearing from a lot of city and town clerks who are anxious about planning for this for the April, May and June elections that are coming up, so that's something we're immediately trying to extend to the end of June," Lawn said.
Lawn, who is the House's most recent Election Laws Committee chair, and Creem will also push this session to approve a broader bill dubbed the VOTES Act (HD 1536 / SD 1002), which would enshrine mail-in voting opportunities and early voting periods as permanent features and allow residents to register and cast a ballot in one trip.
Lawmakers who proposed a sweeping set of permanent election reforms will first aim to secure an extension to the pandemic-era changes to ensure that residents are able to vote by mail in this spring's municipal elections.
While outlining their legislation Wednesday to make mail-in voting a permanent feature and implement same-day voter registration, Rep. John Lawn and Sen. Cynthia Creem told reporters they would seek action in the coming weeks on a short-term bill keeping the COVID election reforms in place for local contests.
Creem has filed a bill (SD 189) allowing voters to cast early mail-in ballots and local officials to open an in-person early voting period in any municipal elections through Dec. 31. Those provisions are set to expire March 31 under current law.
Lawn said that he believes lawmakers are interested in extending a municipal mail-in voting provision through June.
"We're hearing from a lot of city and town clerks who are anxious about planning for this for the April, May and June elections that are coming up, so that's something we're immediately trying to extend to the end of June," Lawn said.
Lawn, who is the House's most recent Election Laws Committee chair, and Creem will also push this session to approve a broader bill dubbed the VOTES Act (HD 1536 / SD 1002), which would enshrine mail-in voting opportunities and early voting periods as permanent features and allow residents to register and cast a ballot in one trip.
By Chris Lisinski, State House News Service
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