HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5111        FILED ON: 10/7/2016

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4702

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Carmine L. Gentile

_________________

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 bill:

An Act establishing a remote voting system for town meeting in the town of Sudbury.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5111        FILED ON: 10/7/2016

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4702

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

An Act establishing a remote voting system for town meeting in the town of Sudbury.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Disabled residents of the town of Sudbury registered to vote on or before the deadline set by statute for any given annual or special town meeting shall be eligible to vote remotely by telephone, provided, that no later than the deadline date to register to vote in said town meeting, the resident: (i) notifies the town clerk of their disability in writing and requests that they be authorized to vote remotely by telephone; and (ii) provides the town clerk with the phone number that they will use to vote.  Said notification shall include a statement from a physician or nurse practitioner, licensed to practice in the commonwealth, stating that the voter is temporarily or permanently physically disabled and unable, without hardship, to attend town meeting for a stated period, which period includes the date of the prospective town meeting.  Said statement may be communicated to the town clerk by email from the physician or nurse practitioner.

SECTION 2. The disabled voter shall communicate his or her vote by telephone to the town moderator or assistant moderator from a phone number previously filed with the town clerk and identifiable by the town moderator or assistant moderator at the time of the vote taken at town meeting .  The voter shall dial a number provided to the voter by the town clerk for purposes of remote voting, and identify themselves to the town moderator or assistant moderator by stating their name and street address. Voters calling from a telephone  number that is blocked, different than the number previously provided to the town clerk at the time of notification of disability and request for remote voting,  or otherwise not recognizable by the town clerk shall not be permitted to vote.