Election Day Registration (EDR) Lobby Day Brought Constituents and Attorney General to Advocate for Reform

BOSTON, MA –Organizations and Massachusetts residents dedicated to enhancing voting rights from around the Commonwealth gathered at the State House Tuesday, Jan. 28, to advocate for Election Day Registration, also known as Same-Day Registration.

The EDR legislation introduced by Rep. Jen Benson, Rep. Liz Malia and Sen. Cynthia Creem (H. 636, H. 685 and S. 396) ensures that all eligible Massachusetts citizens with proof of residency are able to register to vote or fix errors in their current registration on Election Day and during the early voting period and then cast their ballot. The policy has 46-year history of protecting the right to vote, expanding participation in elections by an average of five percent, and reducing the work and costs associated with provisional ballots. It is now used in 21 states and Washington, DC.

Election Day Registration has received support from Massachusetts leaders including Secretary of State William Galvin and Attorney General Maura Healey.  Healey attended the lobby day and underscored the importance of this reform for voting and civil rights. On the federal level, the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation has supported a federal bill which includes EDR.

“It has never been more important to protect and strengthen our democratic institutions. Election Day Registration is a simple and common-sense reform that will increase voter participation and ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot. It has been working well in 21 other states and will do so here in Massachusetts” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director, Common Cause Massachusetts.

“Over the past decade, we have made immense progress in overcoming structural barriers that prevent individuals from voting in Massachusetts, fighting for and implementing policies like early voting, online registration, and automatic voter registration,” said Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director of MassVOTE. “Making EDR law is the next logical step that we may take to make our democracy as robust and diverse as possible here in the Commonwealth. It’s well past time that we follow more than 20 other states and make EDR a reality.”

“We are all better off when more people participate in our democracy,” said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “With voter suppression efforts at full tilt nationwide, Massachusetts has the opportunity to expand access to the ballot. By allowing people to register or update their voter registration on Election Day, we eliminate arbitrary barriers to voting that impact everyone and purposefully give voice to marginalized—and often disenfranchised—communities.”

Jonathan Cohn of Progressive Massachusetts said, “2020 will be an important year for fighting for our democracy at all levels. And, yes, that means here in Massachusetts too. Each election, thousands of voters are turned away because of our arbitrary 20-day voter registration cutoff. It’s time to join our neighbors and allow for Election Day Registration.”

“The League of Women Voters strongly supports Election Day Registration because it reduces barriers to voting, making it easier for citizens to fully participate in our democracy. Massachusetts has made progress in enacting common-sense election reforms such as Automatic Voter Registration. The next logical step is implementing Election Day Registration,” said Mary Ann Ashton, co-president, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.

"작년 11월 투표를 감시할 때, 우리는 수많은 사람들이 투표소에서 돌아서거나 최근에 이사를 했다는 이유로 임시 투표용지를 발급받는 것을 보았습니다. 선거일 등록은 기회와 유색인종 커뮤니티를 찾아 매사추세츠로 이사하는 젊은이들, 일하는 가족, 임대료 상승으로 인해 집에서 쫓겨난 저소득층을 포함하여 수천 명의 유권자가 투표하는 데 도움이 될 것입니다."라고 매사추세츠 유권자 테이블의 이사인 베스 황이 말했습니다.

"매사추세츠에서 EDR을 구현하는 것은 연방에서 유색인종 유권자의 투표함에 대한 깊은 구조적 장벽을 억제하는 데 중요한 단계입니다." Lawyers for Civil Rights의 감독 변호사인 소피아 홀이 말했습니다.

“We are starting to feel a little bit like Horton the Elephant, to be honest. We have been sitting on this bill for too long. We truly hope it is the year that this bill hatches into a much-needed law,” said Janet Domenitz, Executive Director, MASSPIRG.

선거 현대화 연합은 매사추세츠주 ACLU, 매사추세츠주 공통대의, 매사추세츠주 여성유권자연맹, MASSPIRG, MassVOTE, 매사추세츠주 유권자 협의회, 매사추세츠주 진보주의 연합이 주도하고 있습니다.

빠른 사실

• 40년간의 성공 실적.
• States with EDR see on average a 4 to 7 percent increase in voter participation (국가 의원 회의)
• 지난 2년 동안 캘리포니아, 메릴랜드, 미시간, 네바다, 뉴멕시코, 뉴욕, 워싱턴, 유타, 버몬트 등 9개 주가 이 정책을 시행하거나 제정했습니다.

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