BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Election Laws is having a hearing Thursday about three bills aimed at increasing voting access this fall.

The committee will hear testimony about bills establishing voting by mail as a default option, expanded early voting and detailing in-person voting methods in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Quentin Palfrey chairs the Voter Protection Corps, which recently was launched to address difficulties ahead of the 2020 election. He emphasizes that the timing of these laws is important to avoid situations such as the Iowa caucuses and Wisconsin primary.

"The adoption of a new method of voting, when it is done quickly, can often cause confusion," he states. "So we need to be putting in place these reforms now in order for them to be ready for the general election and for the primary."

The Massachusetts state primary is scheduled for Sept. 1 and the general election for Nov. 3.

Palfrey is testifying at the virtual election laws hearing Thursday, which starts at 1 p.m.

While Palfrey appreciates that vote-by-mail and early voting in Massachusetts increase access, he mentions something important to consider.

"When early vote was expanded in 2016, it was a great experiment and has had a lot of success," he states. "But you see early adoption in places with higher income levels."

Palfrey says these methods will take time to be widely adopted in lower-income areas, and that many African-Americans prefer voting in person.

For this reason, he emphasizes the significance of ensuring that in-person voting is safe and easy.


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With Pennsylvania's primary election set for May 20, a nonpartisan group is working to raise awareness about voter registration.

Over 8.7 million Pennsylvanians are eligible to vote in municipal elections.

Amy Widestrom - the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania - said she is concerned about low turnout in local races, noting Montgomery County's 41.9% turnout in 2023.

She says one precinct saw less than 1% - only 379 voters. She emphasized the importance of voting for key positions.

"These are the people that are doing the business of our local counties and our local schools and our local judges and our state courthouses," said Widestrom. "And so these are extraordinarily important elections. And yet, in 2023 for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, we only got a 35% turnout."

She adds Pennsylvanians must register to vote by May 5 to cast a ballot in the primary, and the last day to apply for a mail-in-ballot is May 13.

Widestrom said low voter turnout has been an ongoing issue, especially in off-cycle elections like primaries and odd-year general elections.

She added that the League will host civic engagement events to educate voters on upcoming races.

"We'll be hosting a series of webinars called ballot box basics, highlighting both the importance of these municipal elections, but also, how do you learn about these candidates?" said Widestrom. "So we're going to host a webinar on judging our judges. How do we learn about the judicial candidates?"

Widestrom added that the League will be updating their website at Vote411.org with statewide candidate information before Pennsylvanians head to the polls or mail in their ballot.

More testimony was heard yesterday about term limit reforms in North Dakota, an issue voters around the state might have to decide again.

In 2022, North Dakota voters approved imposing term limits for state lawmakers and the governor. Legislators can no longer serve more than eight years in the House and Senate.

But a handful of bills this session call for another ballot question, to raise state lawmakers' term limit to 12 years.

Sen. Justin Gerhardt, R-Mandan, sponsor of one bill, said the new framework threatens the value of experience at the State Capitol.

"Our citizen-led Legislature meets for only 80 days every two years," Gerhardt pointed out. "By the time a new legislator gets a handle on the budget process, legislative rules and the needs of their district, they're already on their way out the door."

He added his bill also addresses the issue of lawmakers who are appointed to fill a seat. Opponents said the moves undermine the will of the voters.

A separate bill proposing a new statewide vote on the prospective changes will be heard this morning. If one of the measures advances to the ballot, it likely would come up in the 2026 general election.

Those who want term limits said they foster fresh voices in policymaking.

Kevin Herrmann, a resident of Beulah, is one of the many people to testify against the new reform efforts.

"This resolution is a way for legislators to get back their legislative power over the citizens of North Dakota," Herrmann contended.

Another thorny element to this debate is, the 2022 ballot question included language prohibiting state lawmakers from trying to force the issue down the road. One of the bills in question repeals the language in trying to get the question back on the ballot. Backers of the proposals acknowledge they are likely to draw court challenges over constitutional arguments.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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A coalition of rural, progressive Democratic organizations is urging the new chair of the national party to invest more in rural and working-class communities in Nevada and around the country.

Anthony Flaccavento, executive director of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, said it's time for the party to start prioritizing these often forgotten groups, especially after the party's lackluster performance in November in which large portions of these groups rejected Democrats.

"If we don't begin to win back a significant part of these rural and working-class people, then Trump will more than likely survive these four years intact in the sense of getting his policies enacted," he said.

Flaccavento called the opposition reignited by Trump being back in the White House "promising," but adds it has to reach beyond highly educated, liberal folks. Nevada's rural voters make up a small fraction of the state's electorate, the majority being held within Clark and Washoe counties. That's where Democrats have focused their efforts and have stayed competitive. But Flaccavento pointed out that now more than ever, his party needs to regroup, restrategize and reinvest in rural, working-class America.

The new DNC chair, Ken Martin, the longtime leader of Minnesota's Democratic Party organization, recently wrapped up a multi-state tour in which he aimed to appeal to the working class. He has publicly acknowledged that the party has lost ground with working-class and rural voters. Flaccavento said time is of the essence which is why his coalition of groups is urging action now.

"How about we start with a focus on the DNC, with new leadership coming up, and try to get them on board with this and then work with the DNC to work with Democratic donors and the party in general to shift the focus and start investing in these two communities," he continued.

Flaccavento said many Democrats need to make long-term investments in "abandoned" counties where party leaders feel alone and locals feel like their requests and priorities are falling on deaf ears.

"We will not see results in one or two election cycles, but we might see results in a decade. And then in the battleground states do the same thing, but with more expectation that it'll actually yield election results in 2026 and in 2028," he concluded.