Coalition working to end the disenfranchisement of eligible incarcerated voters say failure to hold a summer public hearing will ensure the disenfranchisement of eligible, disproportionately Black voters and voters of color in fall municipal elections.
Continue readingYawu Miller, “Mayoral candidates face an electorate that’s moving to the left,” Bay State Banner, June 9, 2021.
Recent polling has painted a picture of a Boston electorate ready to embrace progressive change, showing that 76% of voters support rent control, 60% want an elected school committee and 48% support reducing spending on police and investing the savings in anti-violence and social service programs, versus 36% who oppose such a move.
Yet among the six candidates running for mayor, support for those three positions is lacking. Only Wu supports rent control, none supports a fully elected school committee and Essaibi George, Barros and Santiago have voiced varying degrees of opposition to police reforms backed by Progressive Massachusetts chapters.
Passing a progressive agenda requires engaging people across the Commonwealth to reach out to their legislators.
So call them maybe?
The Safe Communities Act achieved major progress last year. Building on that momentum, we’re ready to fight for a victory this session.
But we need a supermajority of House and Senate votes to overcome an expected Governor’s veto. That’s two-thirds of each chamber: 107 House votes and 27 Senate votes.
Help us engage constituents in purple districts, so that swing legislators can be confident they have public support when they take that vote.
Join us for a Zoom Phone Bank tomorrow at 6 pm — or Wednesday, June 23rd — to call voters in swing districts to generate calls to their legislators! Register here—and don’t forget to invite your friends!
There will be a short training at the beginning, log-in information, and lists for phone banking. You’ll need a computer and phone to participate, and you’ll get Zoom information on how to join when you RSVP.
The Democracy Behind Bars Coalition is a coalition of advocacy and community organizations, direct service and religious groups, and individuals committed to ensuring that democracy does not stop at prisons and jails in Massachusetts. Specifically, the coalition is working to ensure incarcerated people who have the right to vote have access to the ballot; to ensure that over-policed communities are not stripped of political power through prison gerrymandering; and to restore the right to vote to all incarcerated Bay Staters.
The Coalition will be calling constituents of constituents of key legislators to ask them to ensure that the Jail-Based Voting Bill has an early hearing and is sent to a vote. We need your help!
You’ll get training on how to use ThruTalk, key talking points, and help throughout if you have any questions.
Sign up to Phone Bank:
Hope to see you on the phones!
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Legislature announced that the Fair Share Amendment will be on the agenda and up for a vote during their Wednesday, June 9th Constitutional Convention!
Before the Fair Share Amendment can be placed on the 2022 ballot, it must be brought up for a vote in a Massachusetts Constitutional Convention twice and receive YES votes from 50% +1 of the legislature.
In 2019, the Fair Share amendment passed its first Con-Con with a 75% YES vote. Next Wednesday’s Constitutional Convention vote is the LAST hurdle before the Fair Share Amendment is OFFICIALLY placed on the ballot.
Here’s what you can do:
1. EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS – It is incredibly urgent that every legislator hears from their constituents about how important it is that they vote YES to advance the Fair Share Amendment. Take 30 seconds to email your legislators now!
2. ATTEND A FAIR SHARE KICKOFF EVENT – Over the next few weeks, the Fair Share 2022 Campaign is hosting Fair Share Amendment kickoff events in every corner of the state. Find one near you and urge your friends, family, and social networks to attend these events as well. RSVP for one near you at https://raiseupma.us/events!
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The Safe Communities Act achieved major progress last year. Building on that momentum, we’re ready to fight for a victory this session.
But we need a supermajority of House and Senate votes to overcome an expected Governor’s veto. That’s two-thirds of each chamber: 107 House votes and 27 Senate votes.
Help us engage constituents in purple districts, so that swing legislators can be confident they have public support when they take that vote.
Join us for a Zoom Phone Bank next Wednesday at 6 pm to constituents in swing districts to generate calls to their legislators! Register here—and don’t forget to invite your friends!
We provide a short training at the beginning, log-in information, and lists for phone banking. You’ll need a computer and phone to participate, and we’ll send you Zoom information on how to join when you RSVP.
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The Redistricting Committee will be hosting separate hearings for all nine Congressional Districts. These hearings provide an opportunity for area residents to offer their opinions on local and community interests that the Committee should consider when creating the new legislative districts.
Next Tuesday, the Committee will focus on CD-08.
CD-08 includes all or part of Abington, Avon, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Holbrook, Hingham, Hull, Milton, Norwood, Quincy, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Weymouth, Whitman, and the neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Dorchester, Downtown, Jamaica Plain, South Boston, Roslindale, and West Roxbury in Boston.
Sign up to testify here.
Preliminary Election: Tuesday, September 14
General Election: Tuesday, November 2
Voters can choose up to four.
Submitted Questionnaires:
Where The District Is: Dorchester, Mattapan, and small parts of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale
Submitted Questionnaires:
Where the District Is: Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale
Submitted Questionnaires:
Where The District Is: Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and a small part of Roslindale
Submitted Questionnaires:
Progressive Massachusetts itself largely does not engage in municipal-level issue advocacy; however, our chapters do.
Our Boston chapters — Downtown Progressives, JP Progressives, and Progressive WRox/Roz–collaborated on a questionnaire for the 2021 Boston municipal elections in order to offer a valuable service to the public. You can read candidates’ responses here.
Preliminary Election: September 14, 2021
General Election: November 2, 2021
Voters can choose up to four, and at least two will be newly elected as Councilors Essaibi George and Wu are running for Mayor.
Where The District Is: Dorchester, Mattapan, and small parts of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale
Current Councilor: Andrea Campbell, who is running for Mayor
Where the District Is: Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale
Where The District Is: Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and a small part of Roslindale
Current Councilor: Matt O’Malley, who is retiring
Two coalitions of which Progressive Mass is a member submitted testimony for this week’s hearing on the VOTES Act.
Safe Elections Network
Testimony in Support of H.805 & S.459
An Act Fostering Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity and Security
Joint Committee on Election Laws
May 19, 2021
Dear Chair Ryan, Chair Finegold, Vice Chair Vitolo, Vice Chair Gomez, and members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws,
The more than 100 undersigned organizations write jointly to make sure the committee knows that support for the VOTES Act is deep and broad.
Please accept this letter as testimony in support of H.805 and S.459, An Act Fostering Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity, and Security, sponsored by Representative Lawn and Senator Creem.
Temporary voter access expansions passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, like mail-in voting and early voting in-person, were not just a win for public health, but for our democracy overall. We saw a significant increase in voter turnout that went beyond just the marquis names on the ballot. With such success in public engagement, it is important to make these reforms permanent. However, we must rise to the times and do even more.
With all eyes on voter suppression bills in other states, now is not the time to sit on the sideline. Massachusetts still has work to do to ensure that every eligible voter has access to a ballot.
The VOTES Act seeks to make the COVID-19 expansions permanent and strengthen our election infrastructure with key provisions like a back-end Automatic Voter Registration system, enrolling in ERIC, and enhancing our post-election audits.
Perhaps most important, it seeks to remove barriers to eligible voters by establishing Same-Day Registration and codifying jail-based voting practices for incarcerated eligible voters. Without these reforms, Massachusetts cannot say that we have done all that is necessary to ensure that every eligible voter can actually exercise the right to vote.
We must take a comprehensive and systemic approach to improve elections in Massachusetts and the VOTES Act does just that. This bill is not a laundry list of ideal policies, but a delicately woven tapestry of best-practices that will help Massachusetts move towards a more inclusive, welcoming Commonwealth.
We respectfully urge you to report H.805 & S.459 favorably out of committee in its entirety as quickly as
possible.
Sincerely,
ACLU MA
Action for Equity
ADL New England
American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
American Promise
Amplify Latinx
Arise for Social Justice
Black Boston COVID19 Coalition
Black Economic Justice Institute
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, Inc.
Boston Ten Point Coalition
Boston Ujima Project
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association
College Bound Dorchester
Common Cause MA
City Life / Vida Urbana
City Mission, Inc.
Coalition for a Better Acre
Coalition for Social Justice
Codman Square NDC
College Bound Dorchester
Community Action Works Campaigns
Conservation Law Foundation
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Edgartown Democratic Town Committee
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Equal Citizens
ForwardMA
Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution
Freedom House
Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association
Generation Citizen
Greater Boston Nazarene Compassionate Center Inc.
Greater Boston Section-National Council of Negro Women
GSM Labor Council
Immigrants’ Assistance Center, Inc. (IAC)
Indivisible Martha’s Vineyard
Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition
Indivisible Outer Cape
iVOTE
JCRC
Jetpac Resource Center
Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
La Colaborativa
La Comunidad, Inc.
Lawrence Partnership
Lawyers for Civil Rights
Lift Every Vote
League of Women Voters MA
Lowell Votes
Madison Park Development Corporation
MAPS-Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers
Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Mass Equality
Mass NOW
Mass. Assoc. of Community Development Corporations
Massachusetts AFL-CIO
Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement
Massachusetts Communities Action Network
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Massachusetts Peace Action
Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition
MASSCreative
MASSPIRG
MASSPIRG Students
MassVOTE
Massachusetts Voter Table
MITvote
More Than Words
NAACP-Boston Branch
Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts
Next Leadership Development Corporation
Nonprofit Vote
Planned Parenthood MA
Pleasant Hill Baptist Church
Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts
Progressive Massachusetts
Progressives for Democracy in America
Project R.I.G.H.T.
Providers’ Council- CareVote
Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts
Quincy Geneva New Vision CDC
Racial Justice Rising
Reclaim Our Democracy
Roca Inc.
Rosie’s Place
1199 SEIU
Shana Bryant Consulting Services
Small Planet Institute
Sunrise Boston
The Good Governance Project – BC Law
The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
The Real Cost of Prisons Project
The Women’s Pipeline for Change
Transformative Culture Project
Union of Minority Neighborhoods
Unitarian Universalist Mass Action
UTEC Inc.
VOTE New Bedford
Voter Choice Massachusetts
Worcester Interfaith
Yes – Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance
Young Demcorats of Massachusetts
YWCA Malden
Democracy Behind Bars Coalition
Testimony on H.805 and S. 459
An Act Fostering Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity, and Security (The VOTES Act)
Joint Committee on Election Laws
May 19, 2020
Dear Chairman Finegold, Chairman Ryan, and members of the Election Laws Committee,
We, the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, are writing in support of H. 805 and S. 459, known as the VOTES Act. Over the past year, we have witnessed rampant, renewed attempts to silence the voices of Black voters and voters of color, attacks on the capitol to overturn the 2020 election results, and we have been reminded again and again of the impunity with which police are able to take Black lives. The need to build a democracy that is more racially equitable and truly accountable to all of our communities could not be more clear. The provisions of the VOTES Act — universal mail-in voting, same day registration, and the first steps towards building election infrastructure to serve eligible incarcerated citizens — are critical to that end and, especially in 2021, absolutely necessary.
It is also long past time that Massachusetts end the de-facto disenfranchisement of eligible incarcerated voters. Although individuals serving misdemeanor convictions or incarcerated pre-trial (nearly half of incarcerated people in the Commonwealth) maintain the right to vote, virtually none of these eligible voters cast a counted ballot. This is because the realities of incarceration make casting a ballot difficult or impossible, and Massachusetts has yet to create an elections infrastructure that allows these eligible voters to overcome the myriad barriers they face. This is not only a fundamental democracy issue, but it’s a racial justice issue as hyper-policing and incarceration of Black and POC communities means that Black voters and POC voters are disproportionately those who lose their political voice to incarceration.
As a coalition that is working specifically to end the disenfranchisement of eligible incarcerated people and lift up the political voices of hyper-policed and over-incarcerated communities, we understand today’s hearing to be monumental: for the first time in Massachusetts history, the issue of jail-based disenfranchisement and the particular needs of incarcerated voters are being considered by this body as part of a larger conversation about the project of protecting democracy for all Massachusetts voters. That is a clear step forward.
We appreciate that this hearing begins to consider the question of how to ensure that all eligible incarcerated voters are able to actually cast their ballots in practice. Though we know it will be the subject of a future hearing, we also want to draw your attention to H.836 and S.474, “An Act to protect the voting rights of eligible incarcerated people,” which was informed, drafted, and supported by our coalition with the leadership of directly-impacted people. As our testimony will make clear, ending jail-based disenfranchisement requires system-wide reform. We urge you to consider H. 836 and S. 474 for that reason, and also out of concern that there may be only one bite at the apple for election reform this session, so we cannot miss the opportunity to promote the more comprehensive provisions in that legislation. We hope the committee will advance a voting rights bill that addresses the needs of people behind bars in the most robust way
H. 836 and S. 474 provide comprehensive solutions that will expand Massachusetts’ election infrastructure to meet the specific needs of eligible incarcerated voters. These bills were informed by experience, designed by directly impacted people, organizers, and local election officials to address real barriers they have encountered with common-sense solutions.
In asking this Committee to not only support the VOTES Act but also support H. 835, we are urging it to recognize that the de-facto disenfranchisement of those 7-9,000 eligible voters in Massachusetts jails — voters who are disproportionately Black and POC — is a profound and too-often overlooked democractic failure that needs to be addressed now. For many, the fact that thousands of eligible incarcerated voters are unable to participate comes as a revelation. A budding, broader awareness of jail-based disenfranchisement is the direct result of organizing and advocacy by directly impacted people who have been disenfranchised and seen the disenfranchising effects of mass incarceration.
Jail-based disenfranchisement is a system-wide problem that requires a system-wide solution:
The list of problems that encompass jail-based disenfranchisement goes on. It is a systemic issue that requires a systemic solution, and one that is best understood by those who have been disenfranchised, including members of the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition who drafted and support the Jail-Based Voting Bill. We respectfully urge the Joint Committee on Election Laws to thoughtfully review the provisions of the Jail-Based Voting Bill (H. 836 and S. 474) in addition to those strong steps forward in the VOTES Act.
We fully support the provisions of the VOTES Act, especially those like same day registration that research shows both bolsters participation and helps reduce political inequality. We note, however, that those critical provisions of the VOTES Act which were in place as temporary measures for the 2020 elections did not help incarcerated voters who were de-facto disenfranchised from exercising their voting rights. Now is a moment to not only make permanent those reforms that helped voters on the outside participate safely, but to identify and dismantle those barriers that keep disproportionately Black and POC incarcerated voters from participating at all. We support the jail-based voting provisions that are included in the VOTES Act, and we urge the committee to consider these provisions not in isolation, but along with legislation crafted and supported by directly-impacted communities in Massachusetts like S. 474 and H. 836.
Last, as this committee considers critical issues of democracy, voter access, and racial equity in our voting systems, we also urge you to think about the impact that our current system of felony disenfranchisement has on our democratic system. Although people who are incarcerated on misdemeanors, those who are civilly committed, and those who are awaiting trial retain their voting rights, thousands of people who are serving state prison sentences, also disproportionately Black people and people of color, do not have access to the ballot. They were stripped of their voting rights in 2001. Through felony disenfranchisement, combined with targeted policing and criminalization, we perpetuate racial inequity and our continued failure to reinstate voting rights for incarcerated people reinscribes these inequities each legislative session.The right to vote is fundamental and the Commonwealth must return to universal enfranchisement.
We hope the committee sends strong ballot-access language out of committee.
Signed,
The African American Coalition Committee (AACC)
The Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, including:
Criminal Justice Police Coalition (CJPC)
Decarcerate Western Massachusetts
Families for Justice as Healing
Kathleen Talbot, Holyoke Organizer for Neighbor to Neighbor
Emancipation Initiative
The F8 Foundation
The Massachusetts Voter Table
Massachusetts Prisoners and Organizers Working for Enfranchisement and Restoration (Mass POWER)
MOCHA Springfield (Men of Color Health Awareness)
The National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls
Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts
Progressive Massachusetts
The Sentencing Project
Testimony in Support of S.18 and H.74
Legislative Amendment to the Constitution Relative to Voting Rights
Joint Committee on Election Laws
April 26, 2020
Dear Chairman Finegold, Chairman Ryan, and members of the Election Laws Committee,
We, the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, are writing in support of S. 18 sponsored by Senator Adam Hinds and H. 74 sponsored by Representative Mindy Domb. We believe it is time to take the first step to restore voting rights to people incarcerated for felony convictions. Therefore we urge you to send S. 18 and H. 74 out of committee with a favorable review to create a path for voting rights to be restored through legislative amendment or ballot initiative.
In Massachusetts, we strip incarcerated citizens of the ability to exercise their political voice even though they are our most governed population. This happens through de jure disenfranchisement for those serving felony convictions, and de facto disenfranchisement for those held pre-trial or on misdemeanor convictions, as even eligible voters behind bars have virtually no access to a ballot. These systems systematically revoke political power from hyper-policed Black communities and communities of color. We, the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, are working to end both de facto and de jure disenfranchisement, but we write today specifically in support of S. 18 and H. 74 to end the de jure disenfranchisement of those serving felony convictions.
As you will read in testimony submitted today by currently and formerly incarcerated leaders of our coalition, maintaining the right to vote is critical to protect the dignity, wellbeing, and fundamental humanity of incarcerated people. Stripping people serving felony convictions of their right to vote serves no restorative or rehabilitative function, and it has no deterrent effect on crime. It distorts democratic outcomes and maintains mass incarceration. Felony disenfranchisement and jail-based disenfranchisement are certainly not the only culprits – redressing these issues alone will not solve mass incarceration or political inequality – but they are direct holdovers from slavery, Jim Crow, and voter suppression practices that target Black voters and voters of color, skew representation and public policy outcomes, and have no place in a racially equitable democracy.
The time is right for Massachusetts to end felony disenfranchisement.
In Massachusetts, individuals serving sentences on felony convictions lost the right to vote twenty years ago as a result of a ballot initiative and constitutional amendment put forth by the acting Governor Cellucci. It was a punitive measure in response to civic engagement initiatives by incarcerated individuals in the Norfolk Prison. This is a dark stain on Massachusetts’ history that took place at a moment when some states were beginning to move in the opposite direction and liberalize voting rights for the formerly incarcerated and ‘tough on crime’ was beginning to pivot to ‘smart on crime.’
Twenty years later, it is time to restore the right to vote to all incarcerated Bay Staters. Especially in a moment when voting rights and democracy itself are under attack, it is critical that we in Massachusetts actively and unapologetically work to protect our democracy – especially the political voice of our Black communities and communities of color who have systematically been the target of hyper-policing, mass incarceration, voter suppression attempts, and gerrymandering.
As a coalition advocating to end the disenfranchisement of eligible incarcerated voters (those serving misdemeanors and imprisoned pre-trial) and to bolster the political power of returning citizens, we know all too well that felony disenfranchisement has effects that extend far beyond whether those serving felony convictions can vote. Eligible voters behind the wall and returned citizens in community frequently do not vote specifically because of confusion about the extent and duration of disenfranchisement within the criminal legal system.
Now is the time to end the disenfranchisement of those behind the wall in Massachusetts. We must undo the punitive and harmful measure passed 20 years ago, and rejoin Vermont, Maine, and Washington DC in recognizing that the right to vote should never be taken away.
We would like to thank Senator Adam Hinds and Representative Mindy Domb for their leadership on this critical legislation.
Thank you for your consideration, and we hope to continue working with you to protect access to the ballot for all people in the Commonwealth.
The Democracy Behind Bars Coalition, which includes:
The African American Coalition Committee (AACC)
The ACLU of Massachusetts
Common Cause Massachusetts
Decarcerate Western Massachusetts
Emancipation Initiative
Families for Justice as Healing
Healing Our Land, Inc.
The National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls
The Massachusetts Voter Table
MassPOWER
Mass Political Cooperative
MOCHA
Progressive Massachusetts
Prisoners Legal Services
Earlier this week, we learned some great news: Massachusetts will keep all 9 of its seats in the US House of Representatives.
However, since the country as a whole grew (as did Massachusetts), the size of each Congressional district must grow from about 728,849 after 2010 to 781,497.
Some parts of the Commonwealth grew over the last decade, and some didn’t — and the lines all have to be redrawn.
Here’s where you come in.
The Legislature will be holding hearings about what those new lines should look line.
Next Tuesday (5/4), at 5 pm, the Legislature will hold a hearing about the future boundaries of MA’s 5th Congressional District. You can sign up to testify here.
On Monday, 5/24, at 5:30 pm, the Legislature will hold a hearing about the future boundaries of MA’s 2nd Congressional District. You can sign up to testify here.
Every 10 years, the MA Legislature — like state legislatures around the country — uses census data to redraw legislative districts for both state and federal officials. This includes your state representative, your state senator, and your Representative in the US Congress.
Redistricting is about more than just changing lines on a map: it’s about issues of equity and representation that are the bedrock of democracy. When done right, redistricting can increase the power of the communities that are so often disenfranchised — communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant communities — and give them a greater voice in our political system.
But that doesn’t happen on its own.
In the coming months, we’ll be working with partners in the Drawing Democracy Coalition — community organizations, civil rights lawyers, policy advocates, data experts, and political scientists — to help make that happen.
We’ll keep you posted in the coming months about how to best take action. For now, the first step is to make sure you stay informed. Subscribe to Drawing Democracy’s weekly newsletter, follow the coalition on Twitter, and like the coalition on Facebook.
Last month — around the one-year anniversary of the declaration of emergency in Massachusetts due to the COVID pandemic — the MA Legislature finally passed a law to allow all workers to access five days of emergency paid sick time for COVID-related sickness, quarantine, caregiving, and vaccination.
Enter: Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
Rather than signing the bill, Baker sent it back with amendments to deny Emergency Paid Sick Time benefits to municipal employees – workers who are on the frontlines of the pandemic response and deserve the same protections as private-sector workers.
At the same time that he is requiring schools to reopen, he is trying to take away vital protections for teachers and staff. And trying to put countless other public workers at risk.
Fortunately, your state senator and state representative don’t need to listen to Baker and can reaffirm their commitment to an equitable recovery.
