Lawmakers on Beacon Hill reached a compromise on a bill that would expand voting rights in Massachusetts. But advocates say it doesn’t go far enough after provisions allowing same-day registration were taken out.
The compromise bill would make mail-in voting permanent, a practice adopted suddenly in 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19.
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“The reforms that were passed in lightning speed were all temporary but necessary because we needed for everyone to be able to vote safely and securely in the pandemic,” said Patricia Comfort, executive director of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters.
Comfort said the bill should also include same-day registration, which she sees as an equity issue, pointing to the more than 2,500 provisional ballots that were thrown out in the 2020 election.
“Most of those provisional ballots that were rejected were in Black and brown communities,” she said. “We want for everyone who shows up at the polls to be able to vote and, if they are eligible, we want their vote to count.”
Secretary of State Bill Galvin, whose office oversees elections, has said he supports the proposed changes and same-day registration.
House and Senate negotiators released the final version of the voting reform bill earlier this week, and it now faces an up-or-down vote in both chambers.
The Senate previously supported same-day registration, including it in its initial version of the bill. But House lawmakers left it out of their bill in January, citing worries about voter fraud.
Political analysts say many incumbents oppose the practice because it could undermine their re-election chances by bringing in new voters less likely to uphold the status quo.
Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton), the lead Senate sponsor of the bill, said she’s disappointed that it was not included in the final bill.
“I will continue to push for passage of same-day registration and plan to file legislation on the subject going forward,” she said.
