The anticipatory goodwill has its limits. Jonathan Cohn, the policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, acknowledges that Healey will be (from his vantage point) better than Baker on a number of issues, from abortion rights to the environment to driver’s licenses for unauthorized immigrants. Yet Healey’s unwillingness, on the campaign trail, to speak frankly about where she parts ways with Baker left him perplexed.
“I have found it kind of strange that she doesn’t even go for low-hanging fruit when trying to describe how she would be different than Charlie Baker,” Cohn said.
It’s finally Election Day!!! This year’s ballot questions have the possibility to greatly impact the safety and equity of life in Massachusetts.
Whether that impact will be positive or negative is up to your YES votes.
Below is an explanation of why we have endorsed YES on Questions 1, 2, and 4 (and for those select districts, 5 and 6). Please share these resources with your family, friends and neighbors and help us promote progressive policy.
YES ON 1: Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation.
We know that there are lots of questions about how the tax will be implemented and spent. The Fair Share FAQ website has factual, easy to understand answers, including in the extremely rare instances where it will apply to the sale of houses and businesses.
YES on 2: Better Dental Care
In Massachusetts, we have a law that requires medical insurance plans to spend at least 88% of all premiums on health care or efforts to improve the quality of health care delivery. However, no such requirement exists for dental insurance. If Question 2 passes, a minimum of 83% of your premium would have to be spent on care, rather than profit, and strengthen financial transparency of dental insurance companies.
To learn how a Yes vote on Question 2 will require more patient dollars to be spent on patient care check out the Yes on 2 website FAQ.
YES on 4: Safer Roads
A YES on 4 would uphold the Work & Family Mobility Act, a bill passed by 75% of the MA Legislature that would allow qualified drivers – regardless of immigration status – to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license and legally drive in Massachusetts. By voting YES ON 4, Massachusetts voters will ensure that immigrants without status can legally make essential trips, like dropping off kids at school and getting to work, while promoting road safety for all of us.
Learn more about the positive impact similar legislation has made in other states and why it should stay law by visiting the Safer Roads MA FAQ site.
Wait, Is There a Q5 or a Q6, too?
In select state representative districts, there are non-binding advisory questions as well, and if you see them on your ballot, we recommend voting YES on these questions also:
YES on 5, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support legislation to create a single payer health care system in Massachusetts so that we finally treat health care as a right, not a privilege.
YES on 6, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support a change to the MA House’s rules enabling all legislative committees’ votes to be public, posted online as they are in most other states.
Both are clear and simple; and lots of YES votes send a strong message to your state representative.
If you haven’t mailed in your ballot yet then unfortunately it is not guaranteed that it will be counted in time. We highly encourage you to vote in person instead.
If you already mailed your ballot, use the track my ballot site to make sure it was accepted. If it was rejected (perhaps missing a signature), you can vote in person today.
If you have any questions about the ballot questions or making your vote count, please feel free to respond to this email- we are here to help!
“For many voters, the idea that everybody who is driving should be licensed and insured just makes sense,” Progressive Massachusetts Political Director Jonathan Cohn told the Prospect.
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Despite these challenges, Cohn remains optimistic about the coalition behind the Yes on 4 campaign. “It’s important to make sure that your legislative campaigns are done in such a way that you build an organizing apparatus to not only win legislation but to protect legislation,” he said. “Passing a bill is the first step.”
Wouldn’t it be terrifying if you didn’t having a voting plan?! Don’t worry we have all the resources you need to get your vote out, and help get your community to the polls as well!
Upcoming Election Deadlines
Vote by mail:
We strongly encourage you to submit your mail in ballot by November 1st so it reaches your town clerk or local elections office by November 8th. Your ballot will be counted as long as it’s postmarked by November 8th and arrives by November 12, but please don’t wait until then!
If you haven’t sent in a vote-by-mail application yet and wish to do so, you can download a form here. The deadline to receive your application is November 1st at 5 pm.
If you’ve already received your ballot, you can send it back via mail or via a dropbox near you. And if you want to confirm receipt, you can track your ballot.
If you’re unsure if you applied for a mail-in ballot, use track your ballot to check
Vote early in person:
Early voting is available across the state, and each community has their own dates/deadlines. You can find locations in your community here.
Election Day is less than three weeks away. Do you have a plan to vote?
Fortunately, you have options for how to vote this year (and, indeed, you may have already voted!):
Vote by mail: If you haven’t sent in a vote-by-mail application yet and wish to do so, you can download a form here. If you’ve already received your ballot, you can send it back via mail or via a dropbox near you. And if you want to confirm receipt, you can track your ballot.
Vote early in person: Early voting starts this weekend. You can find locations in your community here.
Vote on Election Day: As always, you can confirm your polling place at wheredoivotema.com.
And remember, the deadline to register to vote or update your registration is Saturday, October 29. You can register online here if you need to.
Your Progressive Guide to the Statewide Ballot Initiatives
YES ON 1: Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com.
YES on 2: Better Dental Care
In Massachusetts, we have a law that requires medical insurance plans to spend at least 88% of all money taken in by premiums on health care or efforts to improve the quality of health care delivery. However, no such requirement exists for dental insurance, enabling insurance companies to siphon off as much as they want to line executives’ pockets. Question 2 would establish such a requirement for dental insurance plans so that dental insurance premiums go toward care, rather than profit, and strengthen financial transparency and regulation of dental insurance companies.
YES on 4: Safer Roads
A YES on 4 would uphold the Work & Family Mobility Act, a bill passed by 75% of the MA Legislature that would allow qualified drivers – regardless of immigration status – to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license and legally drive in Massachusetts. By voting YES ON 4, Massachusetts voters will ensure that immigrants without status can legally make essential trips, like dropping off kids at school and getting to work, medical appointments, and the grocery store, while upholding the regulatory framework that ensures all drivers have passed a road test, bought insurance, and have a form of verified identification. Learn more and get involved at https://saferroadsma.com/.
Wait, Is There a 5 or a 6, too?
In select state representative districts, there are non-binding advisory questions as well, and if you see them on your ballot, you should also vote YES:
YES on 5, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support legislation to create a single payer health care system in Massachusetts so that we finally treat health care as a right, not a privilege.
YES on 6, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support a change to the MA House’s rules enabling all legislative committee’s votes to be public, posted online as they are on most other states.
Both are clear and simple; you should vote YES, and your state representative should listen.
Legislative Endorsements
As a reminder, our members have endorsed the following candidates:
Election Day is one month and one day away. That’s right: November 8 is coming fast.
And there are many opportunities, all across Massachusetts, to help ensure victory for Question 1 and Question 4 this November.
Question 1: The Fair Share Amendment
As a reminder, Question 1, the Fair Share Amendment, would add a 4% surtax to the portion of someone’s annual income over $1 million to raise $2 billion in constitutionally dedicated funds for public education and transportation across the Commonwealth. 99+% of us won’t pay a penny more, but we will all benefit from the investments the revenue would make possible.
Those investments can mean greater funding for early education, for more teachers and counselors in our schools, for lowering tuition and hiring faculty and at our public colleges and universities, for fixing potholes, for upgrading structurally deficient bridges, and for expanding access to high-quality public transit.
Here’s how you can help:
Find a canvass near you.
Sign up for a phone bank.
Sign up for a relational organizing training.
Question 4: The Work & Family Mobility Act / YES for Safer Roads
As a reminder, in June over 75% of Massachusetts State Senators and Representatives voted to override a gubernatorial veto so that all qualified state residents, regardless of immigration status, can apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license starting on July 1, 2023, joining 18 other states with such laws including our neighbors New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Unfortunately, xenophobes and reactionaries in the state are trying to overturn this and are hoping to repeal it by ballot. But we won’t let them.
Vote YES to keep the law in place for safer roads, greater public safety, and work and family mobility.
Election Day is six weeks away. And that’s coming up fast.
In that spirit, we’re proud to announce a new round of endorsements, voted on by our members.
A few quick reminders first:
Confirm your polling location at wheredoivotema.com.
Apply for a mail-in ballot here.
Register to vote or update your registration here.
MA House: Re-Election Endorsements
3rd Bristol: State Rep Carol Doherty
The District: Easton (Precinct 4A, 5, 6), Taunton (Ward 1 Precincts A, B; Wards 2, 5, 7, 8)
Rep. Carol Doherty has been fighting to ensure that all students get the resources and supports they need. She understands that every community in our Commonwealth thrives when we invest in education and infrastructure, when we strengthen workers’ rights, and when our government is accessible and accountable to the public they serve.
Learn more about her campaign at https://caroldoherty.com/.
Rep. David LeBoeuf has been a strong advocate for expanding health care access and removing economic barriers facing the most marginalized. A committed supporter of bold climate action, he understands how housing, climate, and economic justice are connected and co-filed the top piece of legislation this past session to advance that vision of climate action. Learn more about his campaign at https://www.davidleboeuf.org.
New MA Senate Endorsements
Second Suffolk: State Rep Liz Miranda
The District: Boston (Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain)
Rep. Liz Miranda has been a strong champion for immigrants’ rights, criminal legal reform, maternal health, and environmental justice and is a legislator who knows how to fight to win. She brings a powerful lived experience and a commitment to policy and robust constituent services. She has been a vocal ally for individuals and groups fighting for justice in Massachusetts, and we need more people like her in office.
Hampden, Hampshire, & Worcester: State Rep Jake Oliveira
The District: Belchertown, Chicopee (Ward 1 Precincts A, B; Ward 6 Precincts A, B; Ward 8 Precinct B; Ward 9 Precinct B; East Longmeadow; Granby; Hampden; Longmeadow; Ludlow; Palmer; South Hadley; Springfield; Ward 6 Precincts B, D; Ward 7 Precincts B, C, D, E, F, G, H1; Warren; Wilbraham)
Rep. Jake Oliveira has been a strong champion of public education and a reliable ally for transit and environmental justice activists in Western Mass. As a former advocate for the state association of school committees and the state association for public universities, he understands well how investing in education is critical for equity and economic vitality.
Kevin Kalkut has a shown a commitment to public service via the Norfolk Planning Board and Norfolk Select Board and to coalition-building, having brought together stakeholders to create a plan to expand multifamily zoning while preserving green space. He would be a strong advocate for public education, reproductive health care, affordable housing, and climate action.
Learn more about his campaign at https://www.kalkut4rep.com/.
5th Suffolk: Chris Worrell
The District: Boston (Roxbury, Dorchester)
Chris Worrell has a strong background in public service and community engagement, especially ensuring greater voice for impacted communities. As a state legislator, he will fight to address deep-rooted education and housing inequities and ensure that Roxbury and Dorchester are able to benefit from our state’s economic prosperity.
Learn more about his campaign at https://votechristopherworrell.com/.
11th Worcester: Stephen Fishman
The District: Shrewsbury; Westborough (Precinct 4)
Stephen Fishman is a former small business owner who understands that small businesses thrive when we invest in strong public education and transportation systems. Unlike the Republican incumbent he is challenging, he would be a reliable advocate for workers’ rights, voting rights, and reproductive justice.
Learn more about his campaign at https://stephenfishman.org/.
Reminder: Our Endorsements Continuing to the General
As a reminder, these join our other endorsees advancing to November:
Rahsaan Hall for Plymouth County District Attorney: https://www.hall4da.com
State SenatorBecca Rausch for the Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex state senate district: https://www.beccarausch.com/
Robyn Kennedy for the First Worcester state senate district: https://www.kennedy4senate.com/
“The way I describe the Massachusetts legislature’s evolution over the past decade is that they have gone from doing things that are actively harmful to things that are woefully insufficient,” says Jonathan Cohn, policy director for Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide political advocacy group. “There is a certain type of conservatism bred out of inertia, risk avoidance, lack of engagement on policy on an individual level and the fact that the most powerful interests militate in favor of the status quo. Not an outright ‘big C’ conservativism like a Republican legislature, but a status quo bias in operation.”
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“Under a Republican governor power resides within the legislature, they set the agenda: They can ignore whatever the governor asks them to do because, at the end of the day, they can pull together the votes for what they want to do regardless,” says Cohn. “[A] Democratic governor assumes that the legislature should pass the Democratic governor’s priorities, which takes power away from the Speaker and away from the Senate president.”
The primary in Massachusetts is just five weeks away, and voters will start casting their ballots soon (indeed, some already may have). And the general election is only 14 weeks away.
Amidst the many races on the ballot this year, we want to spotlight one that can be too often overlooked: District Attorney.
The office of the DA is critical to implementing criminal legal reform and ending the culture of mass incarceration. It has the power of oversight over the prosecutors and staff who handle cases, as well as having power regarding sentencing decisions which can alter people’s lives. We, as voters, can elect DAs who want to change the system, or ones who seek to entrench it.
That’s why we’re proud to endorse Ricardo Arroyo for Suffolk County DA and Rahsaan Hall for Plymouth County DA. Both received more than 98% of the vote in our recent member poll.
Ricardo Arroyo for Suffolk County DA
Ricardo brings strong first-hand knowledge to the DA’s office from his role as a public defender and as city councilor. As a public defender, he worked to help stabilize and connect people to the resources necessary to give them a chance to break cycles of inequity. As a councilor, he sponsored and passed ordinances to ban the use of facial surveillance technology by the Boston Police Department, increase oversight of surveillance acquisition, create the Office for Police Accountability and Transparency, limit the use of rubber-covered bullets and tear gas by BPD, and declare racism a public health crisis. He is running to continue the reform work of DA Rachael Rollins in ensuring that we are not criminalizing poverty, addiction, and mental illness and approaching the work with a systems perspective and a rigorous commitment to data.
Here’s what some of our members said about Ricardo:
“Having a former public defender as district attorney will speak volumes about as well as actualize Suffolk County’s purported commitment to criminal justice. Ricardo Arroyo has been an excellent Boston City Councillor and it will benefit us all to see him continue this work as DA. “
“Ricardo Arroyo’s vision and plans would be transformative for Suffolk County, advancing the culture of the DA’s Office toward community justice. I’m especially impressed with his plans for mental health and ‘crimmigration’ departments, and his policy and training plans to make the reforms sustainable.”
“We need a person in the DAs office who will prioritize anti-racist work to ensure our criminal legal system advances justice and does not perpetuate racist norms.”
Rahsaan brings an wealth of experience to the DA’s office including his work as an Assistant DA in Suffolk County where he worked intensively with community stakeholders on developing a coordinated public safety agenda. He also worked to advance criminal legal reform and racial equity at Lawyers for Civil Rights and ACLU Massachusetts. Rahsaan led the ACLU’s “What a Difference a DA Makes” public education campaign, where he engaged with residents and community groups on how the DA’s offices can address injustices and use harm reduction approaches to provide true public safety by addressing people’s underlying needs. He is a national leader in understanding what power lies within the DA’s office and how to make the office a force for reform and a holistic vision of public safety.
Here’s what some of our members said about Rahsaan:
“Rahsaan has done an incredible job as the director of ACLU Mass’s racial justice program. What a truly special experience it would be for Plymouth County to see him continue that work as district attorney!”
“Rahsaan Hall has been a state and national leader on legal system reforms that prioritize justice and community safety. Plymouth County needs his vision, experience, and skills!”
“Rahsaan’s work with the ACLU and as an ADA shows his deep commitment to justice.”
Learn more about Rahsaan at https://www.hall4da.com/.
The Massachusetts state primary is now less than 7 weeks away: Tuesday, September 6. And the general election is less than 16 weeks away: Tuesday, November 8.
With those dates rapidly approaching, we are proud to release our second group of legislative endorsements for this cycle.
Curious about our process?
You can find all of the comprehensive questionnaires we have received from candidates this cycle so far here and here.
We encourage our chapters to vote on endorsements first so that we can align and amplify their work.
As we believe in the importance of small “d” democracy, all of our endorsements get voted on by our members, and candidates must receive at least 60% of the vote for an endorsement.
This list will be growing soon! We are planning to release more endorsements in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
But now the endorsees….
7th Essex: Manny Cruz
Manny Cruz is a member of the School Committee in Salem and brings an impressive background in public service. He was formerly the Chair of the Governor’s State Wide Youth Council and a legislative staffers to both Representative Matias. He is currently the Advocacy Director at Latinos for Education, through which he created the Educator Diversity Coalition and helped found the MA Alliance for Early College. He has been a strong advocate for the environment, public education, and reproductive justice, and he has been endorsed by our new Salem chapter.
Margareth Shepard is a former Framingham City Councilor and was the first Brazilian immigrant elected to a City Council in the US, and she has been endorsed by our Framingham chapter. She has served as a member of the MetroWest Commission on the Status of Women, Chair of the Massachusetts Brazilian Citizens Council, secretary of the Brazilian American Center, and board member of the Brazilian Women’s Group, and she founded Brazilians for Political Education to increase voter registration and civic engagement. In these roles, and in her role as a Councilor, she was a major advocate for the Work & Family Mobility Act and a reliable ally for progressives in Framingham.
Where’s the District? Framingham (Precincts 1-8, 9B, 10-16)
Learn More: https://www.margarethforstaterep.com/
9th Middlesex: Heather May
Heather May is an educator at Emerson College, teaching classes in public speaking, debate, mental health, and healthcare policy as well as a community activist in Waltham. Having been active in the push to unionize the non-tenured faculty at Emerson, she understands the value of organizing (something the House certainly needs), and she is running on strong progressive policies and the need for systemic change in the MA House. She is challenging an incumbent with a record of voting in lockstep with the Speaker, if not worse (given the incumbent’s opposition to the 2020 police reform bill).
Zoe Dzineku brings the experiences as an immigrant, a small business owner, a single mother, and a community organizer. As Chair of the Lowell Election Commission, she successfully fought back the City’s attempt to reduce the number of polling locations in the first election with newly drawn Council districts. She has been involved in community organizing with the African community in the Merrimack Valley and with the Merrimack Valley Project, fighting for racial and economic justice. She has channeled that work in her role as a well-regarded Director of Constituent Services in the State Senate. Solidarity Lowell endorsed her, and we are proud to as well.
Tara Hong is a Cambodian immigrant and a community activist in Lowell. He is the Civic Engagement Coordinator at the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, where he has worked on voter education and community empowerment. He serves on the board of the Lowell Litter Krewe and Mill City Grows, making sure Lowell is a more sustainable and equitable city. He is running on a strong progressive platform, rooted in transparency, affordable housing, and bold climate action, and he is challenging an incumbent who has voted lockstep with the Speaker (if not worse, given the incumbent’s votes against police reform). Solidarity Lowell endorsed him, and we are proud to as well.
Teresa English is a public school teacher in Lawrence with a lifelong commitment to public service. She is running to fight for increased aid for public schools, bold climate action, stronger worker protections, and a Massachusetts where people can afford to live at any stage of their life. She understands the importance of investing in the future of the Commonwealth and ensuring that government is accessible to the public. She is challenging a Republican incumbent who has one of the most conservative records in the entire State House. Solidarity Lowell endorsed her, and we are proud to as well.
Where’s the District? Billerica
Learn More: https://www.voteteresaenglish.org/
6th Norfolk: Tamisha Civil
Tamisha Civil combines a history of community involvement and strong progressive values. She has been a legal advocate for women and children impacted by domestic violence, a Commissioner for the Eastern Regional Commission on the Status of Women, a committee member for the Diversity and Inclusion for the Massachusetts Trial Court, a volunteer of the Stoughton’s Energy & Sustainability Committee, and a board member of Canton Residents for Sustainable Equitable Future (CR4SEF). She is running against a conservative Democratic incumbent who has opposed the Fair Share Amendment as well as police reform legislation.
Where’s the District? Avon, Canton, Stoughton
Learn More: https://www.tamishacivil.com/
15th Norfolk: Raul Fernandez
Raul Fernandez has been an impressive local leader in the fight for more progressive municipal government, expanding the vision of what’s possible. As a member of the Select Board in Brookline, he chaired the Task Force to Reimagine Policing in Brookline, leading a community process to imagine a crisis response system that puts mental health and well-being first. At Boston University, where he is a lecturer, he co-developed the course “Identity, Inclusion & Social Action,” which helps students to examine systems of oppression and identify opportunities to work toward social justice, and he is a Board Member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Through both lived and professional experience, Raul understands the urgency of action on the many crises the Commonwealth faces and the need for systemic change to address them.
Where’s the District? Brookline (Precincts 1-4, 5A, 6-12, 17)
