HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 48        FILED ON: 1/2/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 63

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

William M. Straus

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying proposal for constitutional amendment:

Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting by qualified voters of the Commonwealth.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

William M. Straus

10th Bristol

1/2/2013

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

1/16/2013

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

1/8/2013

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

2/1/2013

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

1/28/2013

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

2/1/2013

Stephen Kulik

1st Franklin

1/30/2013

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

2/1/2013

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

1/8/2013

Timothy R. Madden

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

1/4/2013

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

1/17/2013

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

1/31/2013

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

1/8/2013

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/7/2013

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

1/7/2013

Michael J. Rodrigues

First Bristol and Plymouth

1/3/2013

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

1/30/2013

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/7/2013

Daniel B. Winslow

9th Norfolk

1/9/2013

Martha M. Walz

8th Suffolk

1/29/2013

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

1/7/2013

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

2/1/2013

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/9/2013

Linda Dorcena Forry

12th Suffolk

 

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

 

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

 

Christopher G. Fallon

33rd Middlesex

 

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

 

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

20th Middlesex

 

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

 

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

 

Anne M. Gobi

5th Worcester

 

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

 

Thomas P. Conroy

13th Middlesex

 

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

 

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

26th Middlesex

 

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

 

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

 

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

 

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

 

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 48        FILED ON: 1/2/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 63

By Mr. Straus of Mattapoisett, a petition (accompanied by proposal, House, No. 63) of William M. Straus and others for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to absentee voting by qualified voters of the Commonwealth.  Election Laws.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting by qualified voters of the Commonwealth.

 

A majority of all the members elected to the Senate and House of Representatives, in joint session, hereby declares it to be expedient to alter the Constitution by the adoption of the following Article of Amendment, to the end that it may become a part of the Constitution [if similarly agreed to in a joint session of the next General Court and approved by the people at the state election next following]:
 

ARTICLE OF AMENDMENT.
 

Article XLV of the articles of amendment to the Constitution, as amended by Articles LXXVI and CV of said articles of amendment, is hereby annulled and the following is adopted in place thereof:-

The general court shall have power to provide by law for voting, in the choice of any officer to be elected or upon any question submitted at an election, by qualified voters of the commonwealth who, at the time of such an election, are absent from the city or town of which they are inhabitants or are unable by reason of physical disability to cast their votes in person at the polling places or who hold religious beliefs in conflict with the act of voting on the day on which such an election is to be held, or by qualified voters of the commonwealth who might otherwise choose to vote prior to the date of the election.