Automatic Voter Registration: We Have the Technology, What We Need Is the Will.

The following was testimony delivered before the Joint Committee on Election Laws on June 8, 2017, in favor of S.373/H.2091 (An Act Automatically Registering Eligible Voters and Enhancing Safeguards against Fraud) and S.371/H.2093 (An Act establishing Election Day registration).

Our democracy is strongest when everyone has the ability to participate, to make their voices heard. And one of the most fundamental ways citizens can engage in the democratic process is by voting.

Massachusetts prides itself in being a state routinely on the right side of history and a model for other states. However, when it comes to voting rights, we have often lagged behind our peers.

The 2014 election reform bill began the process of bringing our election administration into the twenty-first century by allowing online voter registration, pre-registration, and early voting, among other key reforms. It has been both popular and successful. And it is time to build on that progress. Automatic voter registration would do just that.

It increases the efficiency of election administration by integrating it seamlessly into standard government operations and by bringing Massachusetts into the Election Registration Information Center. It eliminates the need for constant re-registration when people move, and by digitizing the registration process, it can significantly cut down on the cost (and paperwork) involved, benefiting cities and towns. It improves the accuracy of the voter rolls. And it will reduce the number of eligible citizens who are left out of the democratic process—approximately 680,000 according to the US Census Bureau.

Two years ago, Oregon became the first state to adopt automatic voter registration. Since then, seven states and the District of Columbia (including our neighbors Connecticut and Vermont) have followed suit—with several more on the near horizon. And it has been a resounding success. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, Oregon’s bill increased voter registration, increased the number of actual people who voted, and made the voting population more representative of the state’s population.

I would also urge you to support H.2093/S.371, An Act establishing Election Day registration. States like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and our neighbor New Hampshire have had Election Day registration for decades, and it has helped to make sure that all eligible citizens can participate and have their votes counted.

We have the technology here in Massachusetts to embrace best practices and bring our elections into the twenty-first century. What we need is the will.

“We cannot have economic justice without reproductive justice”

JOINT COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

TESTIMONY OF PROGRESSIVE MASSACHUSETTS IN SUPPORT OF S.499/H. 536 

An Act Relative to Advancing Contraception Coverage and Economic Security in our State

May 19, 2017

Chairman Eldridge, Chairman Michlewitz, and members of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, I, Jonathan Cohn, co-chair of the Progressive Massachusetts Issues Committee, am pleased to offer this testimony on behalf of Progressive Massachusetts. Progressive Massachusetts is committed to an agenda of shared prosperity and social justice that makes sure that our Commonwealth works for all residents. 

Progressive Massachusetts would like to go on the record IN SUPPORT of S. 499/H. 536, An Act Relative to Advancing Contraception Coverage and Economic Security in our State, or ACCESS.

Massachusetts has been a leader in health care reform, passing the legislation that would later become the foundation for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The ACA went beyond Massachusetts’s 2006 bill and brought about some of the greatest advances in health care access for women in a generation by eliminating co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses for basic preventive care, including contraception. The ACA guaranteed that women, regardless of their economic status, can afford birth control and can choose the birth control method that works best for them. 1.4 million women in Massachusetts now have access to preventive services like birth control with zero cost-sharing because of the ACA. However, the ACA and women’s health care in particular are under attack at the federal level. ACCESS is a vital piece of legislation to safeguard Massachusetts women from such attacks and to keep Massachusetts on the vanguard of health care reform. 

Progressive Massachusetts is committed to making Massachusetts a leader in protecting working families and expanding the middle class, while reducing poverty and inequality. And we cannot have economic justice without reproductive justice. Contraception enables women to decide if and when they want to start a family, time births, have healthier pregnancies, and achieve their desired family size. With contraception, women are better able to plan their educational, financial, and professional futures, ultimately improving their lives, the stability of their families, and the well-being of children. 

With the ACCESS bill, Massachusetts has an opportunity to build on the progress of the ACA. By establishing no-copay coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives, this bill will eliminate unnecessary financial barriers that undermine the accessibility of emergency contraception. The bill limits the ability of insurers to impose restrictions and delays in coverage and ensures medical decisions made by a woman and her doctor are respected. Moreover, by requiring coverage for a single dispensing of birth control intended to last for 12 months, this essential piece of legislation will decrease the likelihood of inconsistent use, and therefore unintended pregnancies, especially for those with limited access to transportation or pharmacies.

Massachusetts led the nation in health care reform, but the work is not done. It is time to be on the forefront again by proactively protecting and expanding access to basic, preventive health care. 

Please Give a Favorable Report to An Act Relative to Advancing Contraception Coverage and Economic Security in our State (S. 499/H. 536).