Unless anything changes, four weeks from today — Friday, July 31st — the formal part of the 191st Legislative Session of the Massachusetts General Court will come to an end.
That means that there are four weeks for the MA Legislature to up its game on pretty much every single front.
Four weeks for them to take action in support of immigrants’ rights, such as passing the Safe Communities Act and the Work & Family Mobility Act.
Four weeks for them to take action in support of reproductive justice by passing the ROE Act.
Four weeks for them to tackle the systemic racism in policing and the criminal legal system.
Four weeks for them to tackle our affordable housing crisis (and just over a month for them to take action before the eviction moratorium passed earlier this year expires).
Four weeks for them to take action to address climate change because Mother Nature doesn’t care about self-imposed deadlines.
Four weeks for them to pass Emergency Paid Sick Time so that workers don’t have to choose between their health and their job security in a global pandemic.
Four weeks for them to pass a budget that lives up to our values by raising progressive revenue to avoid deep, harmful cuts in public services.
None of this will happen unless your legislators hear from you — loud and clear — that they can’t keep procrastinating. That they can’t keep punting issues to later and later in the session until each session runs out. And then the cycle of excuse-making and delay continues.
Can you call your legislators to demand action in these final four weeks?
But beyond just being registered, we want you to be informed. Read questionnaires from candidates running for State Legislature across the state here.
There are a lot of questionnaires, and we will break up our endorsements into multiple batches as in years past.
Our Elections Committee reviewed questionnaires, spoke with allies, and made recommendations for a first batch, and then our members voted.
And we’re proud to endorse the following candidates, who will be progressive champions in the MA House.
17th Essex: Marianela Rivera
About the District: Precincts 2, 3 and 4, of Andover, precincts 1, 2 and 3, of ward C, ward D, and precinct 1 of ward E, of Lawrence, and precinct 2 in Methuen
Marianela Rivera is a special education professional, Coordinator of the Greater Lawrence Education Justice Alliance, and the Vice Chair of the Lawrence School Committee, where she has fought for greater equity and community empowerment. She is running to fight for equity and justice in education, health care, and our response to climate change.
Learn more at https://www.riveraforstaterep.com/.
17th Middlesex: Lisa Arnold
About the District: Precinct 4, of Chelmsford, ward 1, precinct 3 of ward 2, precincts 2 and 3 of ward 4, and wards 10 and 11, of Lowell
Lisa Arnold is a quality systems manager, founding member of Solidarity Lowell, and member of the Lowell Bike Coalition. She is running to fight for increased access to care for mental health, bold and immediate climate action, improved public transportation, and solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
Learn more at https://lisaforstaterep.com/.
27th Middlesex: Erika Uyterhoeven
About the District: Precincts 2 and 3 of ward 2, and wards 3, 5 and 6, of Somerville
Erika Uyterhoeven is an antitrust economist, organizer, and the founder of Act on Mass, where she has worked to activate grassroots organizers and voters to hold the Massachusetts State House accountable on progressive issues. She is running to fight for progressive revenue, a Massachusetts Green New Deal, and increasing investments in public schools and public housing.
About the District: Ward 9, precinct 3 of ward 10, and precinct 2 of ward 11, of Cambridge, and precincts 1–9, of Watertown
Steve Owens is a community activist, member of the Watertown Transportation Task Force, and transportation consultant, helping public sector clients use data-driven analysis to develop freight transportation plans. He is running to fight for bold action to reduce the impact of climate change, greater investment in public transit, and expanded access to sustainable and affordable housing.
About the District: Ward 2 (Charlestown), of Boston, and Wards 1 and 2, precincts 1 and 3 of ward 3, and precincts 1 and 4 of ward 4, of Chelsea
Damali Vidot is a community activist, youth mentor, and Chelsea City Councilor. She has fought for affordable housing, environmental justice, community empowerment, transit equity, and a more equitable economy in her role on the City Council and is running to continue that fight in the Massachusetts State House.
Learn more at https://www.votedamali.org/.
14th Suffolk: Gretchen Van Ness
About the District: Precincts 9–20, 22 and 23 of ward 18, precincts 3, 8 and 9 of ward 20, of Boston
Gretchen Van Ness is a civil rights lawyer who has litigated and advocated against all forms of discrimination and recently served as General Counsel and Legislative Director for progressive State Senator Becca Rausch. She is running to fight for an accelerated transition to an equitable green economy, fully funding our public schools, and health care as a human right.
Learn more at https://www.gretchenvanness.org/.
17th Suffolk: Jordan Meehan
About the District: Precincts 3, 5–12 and 15 of ward 21, and precincts 2, 3, 6, 9 and 10 in ward 22, of Boston (Allston/Brighton)
Jordan Meehan is a lawyer, environmental activist, and the Policy Coordinator for the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, where he advocates for policies to help homeless youth, reform our juvenile justice system, and build safe and supportive school environments. He is running to fight for housing justice, transit equity, and a Green New Deal for Massachusetts.
Learn more at https://www.jordanforma.com/.
12th Worcester: Ceylan Rowe
About the District: Berlin, Boylston, Clinton, Lancaster, precincts 2 and 4 of Northborough, and precinct 2 of Sterling
Ceylan Rowe is a small business owner, community activist, and Commissioner on the MetroWest Commission on the Status of Women, where she has fought for legislation to support women and girls. She is running to fight for bold solutions on climate, local economic development, gender equity, and educational opportunity for all.
Yesterday, in a win for reproductive freedom, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that was designed to close abortion clinics and cut off access to care. This decision affirms that people should not be forced to jump through medically unnecessary hoops to access basic medical care.
But Louisiana isn’t the only state with barriers to care. In Massachusetts, young people seeking abortion are forced to go to court to plead their case to a judge, and families who receive a lethal fetal diagnosis later in pregnancy must travel across the country for abortion care.
That’s why the Massachusetts Legislature needs to pass the ROE Act this session. The ROE Act (S1209/H3320) will make sure that everyone, regardless of income, age, or insurance, can receive necessary abortion care.
This is an equity issue. History shows us that wealthy white women have found ways to get abortion care, no matter the barriers.. Women of color, especially Black and brown women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with low incomes, are disproportionately impacted by the political games that corrode abortion access. The Commonwealth can remove harmful barriers to care, support our health care providers, and be a true leader on reproductive freedom by passing the ROE Act.
Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union army general Gordon Granger announced federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were now free.
Juneteenth honors Black freedom and Black resistance. And it serves as a reminder that, despite our country’s founding rhetoric, many were excluded from that promise of freedom — and, indeed, that promise has yet to be fully realized.
Racism, both individual and systemic, remains a pervasive problem in society, especially in policing and the criminal-legal system.
However, as Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley says so well, if policy created these injustices, we need policy to undo them.
An Act to Save Black Lives by Transforming Public Safety
We still have work to do in Massachusetts to address the structural inequities. An Act to Save Black Lives by Transforming Public Safety, introduced by Representative Liz Miranda (HD 5128) and Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (S.2968), will take important steps in the effort toward equity and justice. This legislation establishes:
Strengthened use of force rules
New investigatory requirements within Attorney General’s Office
Creates a “Duty to intervene” when an officer witnesses abuse of force
Establishes that unnecessary use of force by an officer violates someone’s civil rights
Data collection and reporting processes to prevent hire of abusive officers
Prohibition on no-knock warrants
Prohibition on the use of choke holds, tear gas, and other dangerous “less than lethal” weapons and tactics
Public records of police misconduct investigations and outcomes
Massachusetts needs to pass HD5128/S2968 to save Black lives and transform our public safety system.
As budget season nears, the Legislature will have the opportunity to put words into action and craft a budget that shows that they actually mean it when they say that Black Lives Matter.
What would that look like?
Our allies at Families for Justice as Healing are calling on Governor Baker, Senate President Spilka, and Speaker DeLeo to commit to the following: 1) No capital bond money for new jails or prisons 2) Cutting the budget for the Department of Corrections 3) Cutting the budget for sheriffs 4) Increasing funding for communities, which means housing, healthcare, community-led organizations, and community-led economic development
In short, we should be spending on communities not on criminalization.
Want to do more? Of course you do! Families for Justice as Healing also has an ongoing week of action, where you can find new things to do each week to advance a more humane, just, and equitable society.
Earlier today, the Massachusetts Senate voted 40 to 0 for a bill to protect our fall elections during the pandemic.
Like the bill passed by the House, the bill contained a number of important provisions:
Sending an application to vote early by mail to every registered voter for both the September 1 primary election and the November 3 general election
Ensuring all applications and ballots sent by mail include prepaid return postage
Ensuring that ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted (but for the general election only)
Allowing voters to apply to vote by mail through an online portal and enabling any voter who wants to vote absentee to do so this year
Expanding early voting for the primary and the general
The Senate embraced some opportunities to strengthen the bill during debate today but, unfortunately, rejected others. Here’s a rundown of what happened.
THE GOOD PART I: VOICE VOTES
The Senate adopted several important amendments via voice vote:
Disability Access – Part I: Sen. Cindy Creem’s Amendment #2, which requires that Secretary Bill Galvin submit a report to the Legislature within six months after the bill’s enactment on how he can make voting more accessible for voters with disabilities, especially with regard to online voting.
Disability Access – Part II: Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz’s Amendment #7, which requires the necessary accommodations for voters with disabilities so that they can vote by mail without losing their right to a secret ballot
Absentee Ballot Request Portal: Sen. Eric Lesser’s Amendment #3, which strengthens the language around the online absentee ballot request portal that Secretary Galvin has to create. In particular, it eliminates the requirement for a voter’s signature (which is redundant given the need for a signature upon submission of the ballot), adds language that the system shall apply to the primary if feasible, and eliminates “to the feasible” to the requirement that the system be operational by October 1 (i.e., creating an affirmative requirement for its operationality, rather than a mere suggestion).
Designating the Mailing Address for a Ballot: Sen. Adam Hinds’s Amendment #10, which requires that early-voting-by-mail applications contain space for voters to designate the mailing address to which a ballot should be sent (Think: people who have chosen to quarantine somewhere other than where they are registered to vote)
PPE at the Polls: Sen. Joan Lovely’s Amendment #18, which requires Galvin to issue regulations around the use of personal protective equipment at the polls (the bill had merely used the vague language of “appropriate clothing” to this end)
Extending the VBM Application Deadline: Sen. Jo Comerford’s Amendment #33, which extends the deadline for vote-by-mail applications (changing it from the seventh day before the election to the fourth day before the election)
THE GOOD PART II: UNANIMOUS RECORDED VOTES
The Senate voted unanimously in favor of two amendments:
Equity & Access when Making Changes to Polling Locations: Sen. Jamie Eldridge’s Amendment #20, which moves up the deadline for changing a polling location from 15 days before the election to 20 days before the election, and requires municipalities to publicly evaluate and report on whether such change would have a disparate impact on access to the polling place on the basis of race, national origin, disability, income, or age.
Public Education about Changes the 2020 Elections: Sen. Becca Rausch’s redrafted Amendment #23, which requires Secretary Galvin to conduct a public awareness campaign to inform voters about the bill, requires municipalities to take recorded votes if they choose to change polling locations, and requires that voter information booklets be sent out no later than October 5 for the general election (and that they explain that voters who have already applied to vote by mail for the general need not do so again).
THE BAD: REJECTIONS OF KEY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BILL
However, the Senate also voted down several important amendments. They rejected, via voice vote, Sen. Harriette Chandler’s amendment to increase the number of early voting days for the primary to match those offered for the general election.
Strengthening the Protections for In-Person Voting: The Senate voted down Sen. Jamie Eldridge’s Amendment #24 (Guaranteeing Safe, Accessible, and Fair Elections For All), which strengthened the language around safe in-person voting. The underlying bill creates no deadlines for regulations, no requirement for public input, and no requirements for municipalities themselves to plan for the fall elections, and it also leaves out important elements of safe in-person voting.
The amendment would have required Bill Galvin to issue a draft guidance on Safe, Accessible, and Fair In-Person Voting by June 29, make such a guidance available for public comment for at least ten days, and have a final guidance posted online by July 17. The amendment provided a thorough list of what the guidance should cover:
(a) consideration of the layout of polling locations, including six-foot markers and proper signage in and outside of the polling site, to facilitate physical distancing throughout the voting process, including while voters are standing in line (inside or outside the polling location), when entering the voting area, while voting, while casting their ballot, and exiting, ideally through a different door than the entrance.
(b) expansion and redesign of polling locations to accommodate physical distancing throughout the voting process, or, when necessary, the relocation of polling locations to protect health and safety, keeping in mind that closing familiar polling places and contraction in the number of polling locations should be a last resort and only to be used when other preparedness measures cannot adequately ensure safe voter participation.
(c) implementation of curbside voting for voters with physical or health limitations;
(d) the protection of poll workers with personal protective equipment, adequate access to cleaning supplies throughout the day, access to hand-washing and bathrooms with adequate soap, water, and disposable paper towels, and appropriate distancing measures;
(e) voter access to hand-washing and bathrooms with adequate soap, water, and disposable paper towels;
(f) outreach, recruitment, and training of additional and reserve poll workers to ensure that the burden of administering the in-person election does not fall on poll workers at greater risk from COVID-19, and to guard against the possibility that a shortage of poll workers could compromise the administration of the election and the health and safety of voters.
(g) expanding public awareness and participation in early voting and absentee voting to reduce lines;
(h) expanded outreach on alternatives to in-person voting for those populations identified by the department of public health to be at great risk from COVID-19.
The amendment also requires cities and towns to have their own election preparedness plans no later than 30 days before the election.
Only 16 senators voted for this common-sense amendment, and 23 voted against it.
Elections Committee Chairman Barry Finegold argued that the amendment was covered by Sen. Joan Lovely’s Amendment #18 (which merely changed the words “appropriate clothing” to “personal protective equipment”) and that Secretary Galvin has already committed to much of the amendment’s content. He probably even gave a pinky swear!
Streamlining the Vote-By-Mail Process: The Senate also rejected an amendment from Sen. Diana DiZoglio (#28, Providing for a uniform early voting/absentee ballot) to streamline the vote-by-mail process by creating a standard form for absentee ballot requests and early-vote-by-mail requests. Such a change would reduce possible voter confusion and make the jobs of poll workers simpler.
As Sen. DiZoglio noted, if the bill treats taking precaution related to COVID-19 as a valid excuse for not being able to vote in person on election day, then the distinction between an absentee ballot application and an early-vote-by-mail application is a meaningless formality, not a substantive difference.
Only 14 senators voted for this common-sense amendment, and 25 voted against it.
The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, and Rayshard Brooks have served as a tragic reminder of the epidemic that is police brutality in the United States.
Over the past few weeks (indeed, over the past few years), we keep seeing more video evidence of how widespread, how dehumanizing, and how fatal police violence is and how disproportionately such violence is used against the Black community. Some say the current wave of protests is a historic turning point; we need to make it one.
It is important to recognize that the graphic imagery of police brutality is just one of the many violent manifestations of systemic racism and white supremacy. The underfunding of schools in communities of color is a form of violence. The denial of health care access is a form of violence. Exclusionary housing policies are a form of violence. The environmental injustices of siting pollution near communities of color is a form of violence.
The statistics of systemic racism in Massachusetts are clear.
Systemic racism is why the incarceration rate among our Commonwealth’s Black population is almost seven times that of the white population (while the population is nine times smaller).
Systemic racism is why the median wealth for a Black household in Greater Boston is $8, whereas the median wealth of a white household is nearly $250,000.
Systemic racism is why Black women in Greater Boston make 52 cents for every dollar that white men make.
Systemic racism is why air pollution increased in Black communities in the Commonwealth while falling statewide.
We are happy to see that our national elected officials like Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley have already filed legislation to increase accountability for police officers.
Beyond such important reforms, we need to fundamentally rethink what public safety means. Bloated and militarized police budgets and ever-expanding budgets for prisons and jails are not what keeps communities safe; indeed, communities are less safe because of them.
What keeps communities safe are investments in schools, in housing, in health care, and in community-led development. Our budgets need to reflect these priorities, and our policymaking should stop being hindered by the constant box-checking desire to have a police endorsement for any piece of legislation around public safety.
Massachusetts could be leading, but we have not. The Governor and Legislature have known about these problems and the many other ways in which systemic racism manifests itself. Progressive legislators, especially progressive legislators of color, have filed legislation to advance racial equity, only to see bills dismissed in committee. The Governor and legislative leadership allow session after session to pass without meaningful action.
We are grateful to legislators who are reviving past bills and crafting new ones to address systemic inequities and racism. We are talking with our allies inside and outside the State House (as well as on the national and municipal level) about how to best amplify and support their work.
As Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley so often eloquently states, it was policy that created these injustices, and we need policies to undo them. We call on the Massachusetts Legislature, our Congressional delegation, and municipal electeds to listen to the communities who have been most impacted and to start legislating as though they actually believe that Black Lives Matter.
Now, it’s the Senate’s time to vote, and that means another opportunity to improve the bill–to make it better for voting access and better for public health.
That’s why we’re supporting the following amendments:
#1 (Rausch): Automatic Ballot Delivery for the General Election, which would automatically mail general election early voting ballots to every active registered voter in the Commonwealth
#3 (Lesser): Strengthening mail ballot request online portal, which strengthens the bill’s language establishing an online portal for absentee ballot requests
#6 (Chandler): Creating a Timely Online Ballot Request Portal, which would ensure that the early voting portal is available for the primary election as well as the general, as is included in the House version
#7 (Chang-Diaz): Voting Accessibility, which requires the necessary accommodations for individuals with disabilities to be able to vote by mail
#8 (Hinds): Ballots Mailed by Election Day, which ensures that ballots mailed by Election Day will be counted
#15 (Eldridge): Same Day Registration, which establishes same-day voter registration for all 2020 elections.
#20 (Eldridge): Safeguarding equity and access when making changes to polling places, which requires cities and towns to make specific findings when changing polling places, including that doing so would not have a disparate adverse impact on access to the polls on the basis of race, national origin, disability, income, or age, and increases the notice period for changed polling location from 15 to 20 days.
#23 (Rausch): Voter education and outreach, which requires Secretary Galvin to conduct a public awareness campaign promoting the new and expanded early voting and mail voting procedures included in the bill.
#24 (Eldridge): Guaranteeing Safe, Accessible, and Fair Elections For All, which strengthens the protections of and guidance around safe in-person voting
#35 (Cyr): Language Access, which requires transliteration of all candidates’ names as part of the bilingual ballot (for all translated ballots in languages not using Roman alphabet) and requires all candidates to be provided with written copy of transliteration
Yesterday, the MA House voted for a bill that took some important steps, but contained some glaring omissions. Here are some of the key parts of the bill.
Sending an application to vote by mail to every registered voter for both the September 1 primary election and the November 3 general election
Ensuring all applications and ballots sent by mail include prepaid return postage
Ensuring that ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted (but for the general election only)
Allowing voters to apply to vote by mail through an online portal and enabling any voter who wants to vote absentee to do so this year
Expanding early voting for the primary and the general
However, there were major omissions. And most reps passed on an opportunity to address them.
As noted above, the requirement to count every ballot postmarked by the election only applies to the general, not the primary. (The House ruled an amendment to do so, filed by Rep. Maria Robinson of Framingham, as “out of order.”)
The bill reduced the 20-day voter registration blackout period to a 10-day blackout period. But with our primary happening on move-in day, housing instability high, voter registration drives impossible this summer, and physical voter registration forms hard to come by, that does not address the fundamental reasons why we need Election Day Registration. Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton) filed an amendment to authorize Election Day Registration and to create a streamlined online registration process, but the House voted it down. You can see the vote below.
The House also voted down an amendment from Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Acton) to strengthen the protections for safe in-person voting, such as spelling out clearly what Galvin needs to do and requiring municipalities to have preparedness plans. Her amendment would have also required 25+ days of notice for changes in polling locations. (An amendment that increased the notice in the underlying bill from 10+ days to 15+ days passed, but 15 days is still too short).
Like how your state rep voted? Don’t like how they voted? Let them know.
Why did reps vote against these common-sense measures–especially reps that say they support Election Day Registration in other cases? Many of the Republicans simply don’t care about protecting the franchise (unfortunately, some Democrats too). But for most Democrats, they care more about staying in the good graces of an authoritarian House Leadership than they care about their progressive values. And it’s up to you — their constituents — to change that.
About the District: Precincts A, B, C, D, F and G of ward 2, precincts C, D, G and H of ward 5, precincts F and H of ward 7, and precincts A, B, D and H of ward 8, of Springfield, and precinct A of ward 5 of Chicopee
About the District: Precincts 1 and 2 of Milton; Precincts 8 and 11 of ward 16, precincts 4 and 10–14 of ward 17, precincts 1–6 and 21 of ward 18, of Boston (Dorchester/Mattapan)
About the District: Precincts 3 and 10, of Saugus; Precincts 2 and 4 of ward 3, precincts 2 and 3 of ward 4, of Chelsea; precinct 3 of ward 1, precinct 1 of ward 3, ward 4, precincts 1 and 2 of ward 5, and ward 6, of Revere
About the District: Precincts 2, 3 and 4, of Andover, precincts 1, 2 and 3, of ward C, ward D, and precinct 1 of ward E, of Lawrence, and precinct 2 in Methuen
About the District: Precinct 1 of ward 2, wards 3–6, and precinct 2 of ward 7, of Marlborough; Precincts 1 and 3 of Northborough, and precincts 1 and 3 of Westborough
Incumbent Rep: Danielle Gregoire (D) — No questionnaire
About the District: Ward 1, precinct 2 of ward 3, precinct 1 of ward 7, of Malden, and ward 1 and 2, precinct 1 of ward 3, precinct 2 of ward 7, and precinct 1 of ward 8, of Medford
About the District: Precincts 2 and 3 of Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, precinct 3 of ward 4 and precinct 3 of ward 7, of Haverhill, and Merrimac, Newbury, and West Newbury
About the District: Precinct 3 in Framingham, ward 1, precinct 2 of ward 2, and precinct 1 of ward 7 in Marlborough, Sudbury, precincts 1, 2 and 3 of Wayland
About the District: Precinct A, of Ware; Barre, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, precincts 2, 3 and 4, in Spencer, and West Brookfield
Incumbent Rep: Donnie Berthiaume (R) — No questionnaire
