Be sure to check out the Election Resource Guide on the LWVMA website using the Election 2020 tab to read up on voting changes, election 2020 timeline (in English and Spanish), and view recordings of LWVMA-sponsored candidate forums.

Also on LWVMA website is the Voter Service Toolkit, which is filled with useful information and tips.

Do you have questions about voting under the new election law or anything else elections-related? LWVMA has created a voter email "hotline" to answer any questions you may have about voting options this fall. Please send questions to votehelp2020@lwvma.org and you will receive an answer promptly!

Share these 5 helpful website addresses for voting information provided by the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth. Check them regularly for polling places and dropbox locations since this information can change based on local election officials’ decisions:

VOTE411.org is live so please help promote it. Find the VOTE411 widget and installation instructions for your League webpage here. LWVUS is offering this VOTE411 QR code to promote VOTE411. LWVUS has partnered with the National Association of Broadcasters to launch a voter education campaign featuring public service announcements (PSAs) about voting and VOTE411 to air on TV and radio stations nationwide beginning in August. Leagues can share the NAB video PSA with local partners and use it on social media. In addition to the PSA, LWVUS also has English and Spanish VOTE411 videos.

LWVUS President, Dr. Deborah Turner, in an Aug. 27 League Update to members states, "The League stands with Jacob Blake and we stand with Kenosha, Wisconsin. We strongly oppose the systemic racism that allows violence like this to occur repeatedly. The League remains an ally to those leading the work for social justice, and we encourage all Leagues to advocate for Black lives and nonviolent protest".

In August, LWVMA signed on in support of BeaconBLOC , a “coalition of Black legislative staffers on Beacon Hill calling on House and Senate leadership to fulfill their promise to address racism in Massachusetts, starting with the State House."  

Different versions of a policing bill passed the Massachusetts Senate and House (H.4860/S.2800, An Act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth) and have gone to conference committee, with the work of the conference committee continuing in closed session. Police unions oppose many provisions of the bills. Conference committee will issue a final bill after Labor Day. Please contact your representative about their vote on the House policing bill: if they voted YES, thank them; if they voted NO talk to them. The roll call vote is here.

Two ballot questions will be on the statewide ballot Nov. 3. LWVMA has taken a stand on Question 2, Ranked Choice Voting. The questions, summaries, what your vote will do, statements of fiscal consequences, arguments in favor and against, and the full text of the measures are in the official guide to the 2020 ballot questions, the “Information for Voters” red booklet, which will be distributed to the households of all registered voters in September. It will also be posted on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website. 

See LWVMA’s reasons for its stands on these ballot questions. See Guidelines on conducting League forums on the ballot questions. 

Because the State League supports Ranked Choice Voting, we can advocate for passage of ballot question 2. The YES ON 2 ballot question campaign for ranked choice voting is seeking volunteers. If you would like to help with anything from phone banks to yard signs to letters to the editor, here is a volunteer form.  

If you want to do more and can spend 10+ hours per week on passing this historic electoral reform, please select "join volunteer leadership team" on the form. More voters will be receiving their ballots earlier than ever before and now is the time to focus on persuading them to vote YES ON 2. A member of the organizing team will be in touch and get you started if you volunteer as a team leader.

The Election Modernization Coalition that LWVMA is part of will be preparing a report on how the fall elections went. If you have confirmed knowledge of any significant glitches with either the primary or general elections in your town, please send the information to Nancy Brumback, who will share it with the coalition.

Feel the need to take action around the upcoming elections? Want to make sure everyone in Massachusetts is counted in the 2020 Census? You can help by phoning residents and voters in hard-to-count/historically disenfranchised communities to encourage them to participate in the 2020 Census and to make a plan to vote safely this fall.

Phone banks are conducted on:

You can sign up to volunteer here. You'll need a computer and a phone; training and a script are provided. Please note you need to sign up for each day you would like to phone bank.

Please communicate with your own legislators your support for affordable housing in the Economic Development bills. H.4887 and S.2842 cover several topics including critical provisions for expansion of low-income subsidized housing as well as zoning changes that should encourage building more housing for the “missing middle” range of homes. Read the LWVMA’s housing letter here.

The legislature extended the deadline to move the ROE Act expanding abortion access forward. Here in Massachusetts, barriers still exist: young people seeking abortion are forced to go to court to plead their case to a judge, and families who receive a lethal fetal diagnosis later in pregnancy must travel across the country for abortion care. See League testimony here. Contact your legislators and ask them to support the ROE Act (S.1209/H.3320). 

The Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act establishes an independent board of midwifery in Massachusetts and licensure for midwives based on the nationally-accredited Certified Professional Midwife credential (as two-thirds of states already do). Licensure is a prerequisite for establishing payment through Medicaid and private insurance and for CPMs to open freestanding birth centers, as they do in many other states. The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act. Contact your representative and urge support of H.1948—An Act relative to out-of-hospital birth access and safety. See League testimony here.

Encourage your League to mark this date and help register voters through events such as voter registration drives, book talks, car caravans, and other activities to promote voter registration.

 

The LWVUS Education Fund has updated its Get out the Vote Toolkit with new tips and resources in light of the challenges to reach voters during COVID-19. Also, you can sign up to promote Early Vote Day, Oct. 24.

September 1st: Let’s talk about poll worker recruitment! Celebrate National Poll Worker Recruitment Day by joining fellow League members as we discuss our plans and questions around poll worker recruitment. Register here!

 

September 3rd: Join us for a training focused on adapting your in-person voter registration events as we prepare for National Voter Registration Day!

The status of the U.S. Post Office and the need for funding to enable it to handle the expected large volume of mailed ballots this fall are hot topics. LWVUS is urging Congress to fully fund the Post Office, and offers these talking points about the Post Office and funding. See also these pages: Talking Points: Countering Attacks Related to Vote-by-Mail and Talking Points: Protecting and Expanding In-person Voting and Vote-by-Mail.  

The House of Representatives passed a bill in a bipartisan vote to allocate $25 billion in funding for the Postal Service and block operational changes until after the election. (See letter urging ‘yes’ vote.) This legislation passed the U.S. House in a bipartisan vote on Saturday, August 22. Contact your US Senators to show your support of this bill.

The LWVUS joined two other group suing the Post Office and Postmaster General (see LWV statement). The lawsuit asserts defendants intentionally made changes that would undermine the upcoming election. Read the complaint here. 

Actions taken in July and August on bills we support.

H.591/S.267—An Act regarding breakfast after the bell

S.834—An Act relative to female genital mutilation

H.1853/S.1235—An Act relative to step therapy and patient safety, passed Senate 

H.751/S.490—An Act promoting awareness of sewage pollution in public waters, passed House

H.1948/S.1332—An Act relative to out-of-hospital birth access and safety, passed Senate 

S.2500/H.4933—An Act setting next-generation climate policy

H.1949/S.1334—An Act to reduce racial inequities in maternal health

H.4860/S.2800—An Act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth

How to Contact Your Legislator: You can find phone numbers, email addresses and office addresses on the legislature’s webpage for your Senator and Representative.  Go to www.malegislature.gov and click on the Legislators tab.  If you don’t know who your legislators are, click here.

The LWVMA Action Newsletter is distributed to all LWVMA members. Anyone can request the Action Newsletter by clicking here. Please review this Newsletter for articles of interest to your League and include them in your local Bulletin.