From The Homefront, Vol. 15
Dear Leading Ladies,
As you know, there is a lot of talk about mail-in voting these days. President Trump likes to say that mail-in voting will cause widespread fraud, although all the research indicates that is far from true. In fact, mail-in voting allows far more people who are disabled or live far from voting polls to participate in the voting process than otherwise could, with little opportunity for fraud.
In five states - Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah — elections are conducted almost entirely by mail. In the rest of the states, registered voters must apply for mail-in ballots but do not need a reason or are required to have an excuse to mail in their votes.
Under Massachusetts law, anyone who is disabled, out of town on Election Day, or has a religious belief preventing them from voting at their polling place can qualify for mail-in voting. The state legislature passed a bill this year adding that any person taking precautions related to COVID-19 can also qualify for mail-in voting this year.
State legislators are planning to send a vote-by-mail bill to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk in the next few days that would expand the current bill in significant ways, assuring that more voters can exercise their right to vote.
“Early voting in the general election would be increased from the current four days to 18 days, including two weekends,” according to the Boston Globe. “But most importantly, the proposal would require [Massachusetts Secretary of State WIlliam] Galvin to mail an application for a ballot to every registered voter by July 15 to request a mail-in ballot for both the primary and the general election. It’s a logical compromise between those who wanted actual ballots sent out to voters and those, like Galvin, who wanted to stick with the system in which voters actually had to request a ballot.” In other words, while this is not ideal, since it still requires voters to request a mail-in ballot, it is a step forward by providing all voters with an application to request a mail-in ballot. Certainly, the applications will increase the number of voters who will use mail-in ballots rather than forgo voting.
Let’s let the governor know that we support this bill. Call 617-725-4005 or write him to tell him to sign S.2755.
Also, if you are looking for some entertainment and inspiration, tune in to PBS Great Performances on Friday, June 26, Channel 2 in Boston at 9 p.m, for “Gloria: A Life” starring Christine Lahti as Gloria Steinem and directed by Diane Paulus of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge.
Stay safe and sound!
Best,
Therese
Judy
Mary
Kim