Any Massachusetts Voter could Vote-by-Mail ahead of the September State Primary or the November General Election under a Proposal the Secretary of State’s Office says will Ease Access to the Ballot amid the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.
The Plan, released Wednesday by Secretary of State, William F. Galvin (D), would need to be Filed and Approved by the Legislature, and adds to a Variety of Proposals Lawmakers have already floated to Expand Voting Options amid Fears COVID-19 could Upend Elections this Fall.
Galvin, the State’s Chief Elections Officer, is seeking to Allow any Voter this year to Vote Early by Mail, without an Excuse, should they Request a Ballot. His Seven-page Bill, would also establish a 7-day Early Voting Period ahead of the Sept. 1st Primary, there currently isn’t one, and Expand the Required Window before the Nov. 3rd General Election from a 10-day period to 18 days. The Plan would also Allow Voters to Return Ballots to an “official drop box” or ask a Family Member to deliver the Ballot by Hand, something that isn’t Currently Allowed. Voters could also Submit their Request for a Mail-in Ballot Electronically.
Galvin said the State should still keep Options Open for In-Person Voting. But, he said in a Statement, "the best way to do that is to spread it out over as many days as possible, to avoid crowding in the polling places.” The Legislature earlier this year Passed a Bill that Allows any Voter to Send in an Absentee Ballot, but it Limited it to Elections through June 30th.
And some Democrats in the Legislature have Pushed Proposals that go further than Galvin’s Plan by calling for the State to Proactively Mail every Registered Voter a Ballot ahead of the September and November Elections, rather than Requiring them to Request it. Galvin, who Last month said he was Crafting a Legislative Package, has thrown cold water on the Idea.
Mail-In Absentee Ballots are already Available for All Elections, but they are Limited to those who are Disabled, will be Out-of-Town on Election Day, or have Religious Beliefs Preventing them from Voting at their Normal Polling Place.
Michelle K. Tassinari, the Director and Legal Counsel for Galvin’s Elections Division, wrote in a Letter Wednesday that other States are also seeking ways to beef up Mail-In Options for the Fall Election. That, she said, will Intensify Competition for “materials and equipment." “We want to make sure we have the time to order the paper for ballots, create and have envelopes manufactured, and determine the needs for other equipment that local election officials may need to process vote by mail ballots,” Tassinari said.
The Costs tied to a Enhanced Vote-by-Mail System for the November General Election alone can be Significant, Ranging anywhere from $12 million to $30 million, according to Estimates compiled by The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University. And while Polling shows it’s Extremely Popular in Massachusetts, especially among Democrats and Unenrolled Voters, the Options for Executing it come with Trade-Offs, according to the Tufts Center’s Report.
One Option pushed by Lawmakers, to Mail Every Registered Voter a Ballot, would help Boost Participation, but it also Risks Ballots piling up at the Wrong Addresses and Feeding into “exaggerated tales, or pictures, of misused ballots [that] could go instantly viral," the Report states.
Another Option is to instead broadly Distribute Applications, in lieu of Ballots, so People can then Request Absentee Ballots, Cutting Down the potential for Fraud. But the Report said that also creates another Step that could Discourage Residents from actually Voting, and a Potential Choke Point at Local Clerk’s Offices, who then could be juggling a Flood of New Paperwork to Process.
Galvin’s Proposals come after several Bay State Leaders and Activist Groups including: U.S. Reps. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA, 4th District), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA, 7th District), Katherine Clark (D-MA, 5th District), Jim McGovern (D-MA, 2nd District) and Lori Trahan (D-MA, 3rd District), and U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), called for Expanding Vote-by-Mail.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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