League in the News

Strengthening Voting Rights and Voter Confidence Bill becomes law

Instatrac, October 3, 2006 
 

Boston – In an effort to improve the rights of voters and enhance the level of confidence that voters have in the electoral process, the Massachusetts Legislature has passed S. 2277, the “Strengthening Voting Rights and Voter Confidence” bill. 

“We are finally giving city and town clerks the flexibility they need to make sure our elections run as they are supposed to, fully staffed,” said Rep. Coughlin, (D-Dedham). “And we’re engaging young people in the electoral process. It’s a win-win situation."

Rep. Coughlin thanked the local League of Women Voters chapters for their strong advocacy in favor of this bill.

S. 2277, the “Strengthening Voting Rights and Voter Confidence” bill removes the restriction that poll workers must live in the city or town that they work in on election day, and enables cities and towns to hire poll workers who live in another Massachusetts city or town. Also, it enables people ages 16 and 17 to serve as poll workers provided that they satisfy certain requirements.   The requirements are: (1) a resident of MA, (2) a U.S. citizen upon being appointed, (3) ability to read, write, and speak English, (4) has provided a letter from his or her school principal giving permission for them to be absent from school, and (5) agrees to attend required training sessions.

The bill also requires the Secretary of the Commonwealth to send copies of the Voters’ Bill of Rights, to be posted during elections, to state and municipal offices where citizens register to vote, including but not limited to the offices of city and town registrars of voters, offices of city and town clerks, and offices of the registry of motor vehicles – and must be posted on an electronic website. Interested parties can view the Voter’s Bill of Rights at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/IFV_2004.pdf .

In addition, S. 2277 prohibits election officials (Sec. of State, town or city clerks who administer elections, members of board of registrars and election commissioners) from serving as political committee officers, except those organized on their own behalf (but cannot serve as treasurer for their own committee).  This prohibition extends to directly or indirectly soliciting or receiving a payment or gift of money for any political purpose. 

The above mentioned portion of the bill was pushed to the forefront due to allegations in Florida during the 2000 presidential election and in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election. In the 2000 presidential election, the secretary of state of Florida served as chairman of then-Texas Governor George W. Bush’s state campaign against then-Vice-President Al Gore; and, in the 2004 presidential election between President Bush and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the secretary of state of Ohio, also served as President Bush’s state chairman. 

“I call that aspect of the bill the ‘Katherine Harris Law,’” Chairman of the Committee on Election Laws Representative Anthony Petruccelli (D-Boston) said, referring to Florida’s then-secretary of state in charge of the recount, who is now running for a U.S. Senate seat. “My colleagues have seen the importance of this legislation. We want to make sure that what has occurred in other states does not happen in Massachusetts.”

“I wish to thank the Massachusetts League of Women Voters and the chairmen of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, Sen. Edward Augustus and Rep. Anthony Petruccelli, for supporting this key piece of legislation,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin, the Commonwealth’s chief elections officer. “It will expand the pool of Election Day poll workers by allowing cities and towns to hire persons from another Massachusetts community than their own, and to hire youths 16 and 17 years old who meet the new law’s requirements.”

The bill, which included an emergency preamble, will allow these changes to take effect immediately and will be in place prior to the upcoming Massachusetts gubernatorial election.