Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2022 (H 4359) By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Keith Regan and Matt Murphy who introduce each article in their own clever and inimitable way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages. com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call presents a postelection look at legislative action from 2022 that changed the state’s election laws. Here are the fi ve key important 2022 votes on election laws. ELECTION LAW CHANGES (S 2924) House 126-29, approved and Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a conference committee version of a bill making permanent the mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The House and Senate had approved diff erent versions of the bill and a conference committee hammered out a compromise version which did not include the controversial section allowing same day voter registration that was in the Senate version but not in the House one. The measure requires the secretary of state to send out mailin ballot applications, with return postage guaranteed, to registered voters before each presidential primary, state primary and biennial state election. It also allows registered voters to request a mail-in ballot for all elections in a single calendar year. Other provisions include reducing the registration blackout period from 20 days prior to an election to 10 days; electronic voting options for voters with disabilities and military service members; allowing a voter with disabilities to request accommodations including an accessible electronic ballot application, ballot and voter affi davit that can be submitted electronically; ensuring that non-felons who are incarcerated and are currently eligible to vote are provided with voting infor- LEGAL NOTICE - Estate of: Date of Death: To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner of of has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve on the bond. mation and materials to exercise their right to vote; and requiring the secretary of state to conduct a comprehensive public awareness campaign to publicize the new voting and registration options. “I’m proud to see the [bill] pass in the House and make its way to the governor’s desk,” said Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Senate Chair of the Committee on Election Laws and the co-sponsor of the bill. “When more people participate in voting, democracy wins.” “I am concerned about the amount of money we are spending mailing out mail-in ballot applications when there are plenty of ways a voter can request a mailin ballot if they want one,” said Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), the only Democrat to vote against the measure. “I would rather see these funds go to something more productive like free IDs so that everyone has an ID to vote, open bank accounts and get certain medications that require IDs. We are also putting a tremendous amount of work on our town clerks, especially in our smaller communities like in my district.” “We are thrilled that both the House and Senate have voted in support of the [bill],” said the group MassVOTE. “Even though this version of [the bill] does lack a provision we have long supported—Election Day Registration— we are very glad to see that popular pro-voter policies like mail-in voting, expanded early voting and jail-based voting are included.” “As a general rule, we should be promoting voting in person and on Election Day,” said Paul Craney, spokesperson for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “Anytime a voter loses control of their ballot before it’s given to an election offi cial, it’s possible it could be lost or altered. The Postal Service cannot guarantee a 100 percent delivery rate.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes REPLACE SAME DAY REGISTRATION PROPOSAL WITH A STUDY House 93-64, approved an amendment to a measure that would implement same day registration (SDR) that allows people to register to vote at the polls on Election Day and on any of the early voting days prior to the election. The amendment would replace SDR with a requirement that Secretary of State Bill Galvin complete a study that would analyze the cost of the proposed policy to the state, cities and towns and what it would take for local city and town clerks to implement SDR. Under House rules, the approval of the study amendment prohibits a roll call vote on the straightforward establishment of SDR. Supporters of SDR said that the study is simply a tactic by SDR opponents to delay the implementation of SDR and also avoid a direct vote on SDR itself. Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (DNorthampton), the sponsor of SDR, said it is an important tool that Massachusetts can use to increase voter access to the polls. “In 2021, we had one day of overlap when voters could vote early and register. There was not a fl ood of applications; just a few more people across the state who were able to exercise their civic duty. That small data point shows that this can work and [this roll call] vote shows that support for same day registration, already popular with voters, is growing amongst legislators as well.” Some supporters of the amendment to replace SDR with the study by the secretary of state said the House should not implement SDR without having suffi - cient facts on its eff ects. Others expressed concerns about the ability of cities and towns to implement SDR rules without disruption. (Beacon Hill Roll Call urges readers to read the following carefully and understand what a “Yes” and “No” vote mean on this roll call. The roll call was on replacing SDR with a study. Therefore, a “Yes” vote is in favor of the study of SDR. A “No” vote is against the study and in most cases in favor of SDR itself.) Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Jeff Turco Yes PROOF OF VACCINATION (H 4359) House 31-127, rejected an amendment that would prohibit any city or town from requiring that a voter show proof of vaccination as a condition of entering a polling place to vote or to register to vote. “If any voting location required a vaccination, then a sizable portion of the population would be prevented from entering the facility to exercise their constitutional right,” said sponsor Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer). “Since statistically the majority of people not vaccinated are minorities, a major constituency this bill sought to protect, any vaccine requirement would not only be unconstitutional, but would also be seen as an eff ort to suppress the minority vote.” Amendment opponents said this is a solution in search of a problem. They noted that voters are not being asked to show proof of vaccination. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment banning cities and towns from requiring voters to provide proof of vaccination. A “No” vote is against the ban.) Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Jeff Turco No REQUIRE VOTER ID (H 4359) House 32-126, rejected an amendment that would require voters to show a federal or Massachusetts picture identifi cation at their polling places in order to be allowed to vote. The state would also be required to establish a waiver of the fee for obtaining the ID for indigent persons. Supporters said it is illogical that all voters are not required to show identifi cation prior to voting and noted that 24 other states have laws requiring IDs. They argued that people cannot cash a check, rent a car, fl y on a plane BEACON | SEE Page 16 Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES INCOME TAX PREPARATION WEALTH MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT PLANNING ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee
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