THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 Page 23 BHRC | FROM PAGE 22 that voters should feel confident in knowing that their ballots are always safe and secure. “As early voting continues to expand, we need to make sure that these ballots have the same security and chain of custody as do the ballots on Election Day,” said Dooley. Once the early ballots are processed— currently there is no 24/7chain of custody protection—opening up the possibility for tampering or questioning the process.” “As we’ve discussed earlier, the security of our ballot boxes and our ballots once they arrive are not an issue,” said Elections Laws House Chair Rep. Dan Ryan. “We currently have a Massachusetts General Law as we continue to examine election integrity and security. We have laws that require the clerk of each city and town to provide a place for the safekeeping of the ballot boxes and voting machines used throughout the commonwealth. The care and custody of voting machines, ballots, boxes and apparatus are kept in good order and repair subject to the supervision and control of the secretary of state. So, therefore I request a ‘No’ vote on this amendment.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle No HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of January 31-February 4, the House met for a total of three hours and 51 minutes and the Senate met for a total of three hours and 24 minutes. Mon. Jan. 31 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:19 a.m. Senate 11:14 a.m. to 11:23 a.m. Tues. Feb. 1 No House session No Senate session Wed. Feb. 2 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Feb. 3 House 11:02 a.m. to 2:34 p.m. Senate 11:18 a.m. to 2:33 p.m. Fri. Feb. 4 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall. com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.
24 Publizr Home