Massachusetts Legislature Extends Vote-By-Mail Through June
(BOSTON) The Massachusetts House of Representatives and State Senate on Thursday, March 11, 2021, passed bipartisan legislation to extend mail-in voting and early voting options for elections held through the end of June 2021. The vote-by-mail provision was previously set to expire at the end of March 2021. This legislation will allow Wakefield voters to request a mail-in ballot for the April 27, 2021 municipal election. Wakefield’s state legislative delegation supported the passage of the bill.
“Voting reforms like mail-in voting and expanded early in-person voting have been critical to ensuring that all voters can safely and conveniently exercise their right to vote during the pandemic,” said Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), lead Senate sponsor of the legislation. “I’m very grateful to my colleagues in both the House and Senate for the strong bipartisan support of this bill and look forward to working together to hopefully pass further legislation later this session to make these voting reforms permanent.”
“I am pleased to join the legislature in moving quickly in the new session to ensure that voters can participate safely in local elections like Wakefield’s this spring,” said Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose). “Even as the vaccination rollout unfolds, we continue to see hundreds of new COVID-19 cases each day. Providing voters with safe, secure options to access the ballot box is essential. And, with record participation in our 2020 elections due to increased access that protected our most vulnerable residents, I look forward to working with my colleagues on permanent election reforms, empowering voters including through ongoing vote-by-mail.”
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, an extension to the mail-in-voting for the safety of our voters is the right thing to do. This gives our voters a choice to vote in-person or mail in their vote,” said Representative Donald Wong (R-Saugus). “Your vote counts, so please vote.”
The bill also allows municipalities to provide residents with the option to vote early in-person in these elections. Additionally, the legislation requires local election officials to make reasonable efforts to grant accommodations for voters with disabilities who might have difficulty accessing a paper mail-in ballot. Furthermore, cities and towns can postpone municipal elections and caucuses scheduled before June 30, 2021 until August 1, 2021.
The bill was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday, March 16.
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