HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3935        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 683

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Adrian C. Madaro

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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 expanding voter access through absentee and mail ballots.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3935        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 683

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act expanding voter access through absentee and mail ballots.

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. The second sentence of section 44 of said chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “registration” the following words:- ; or may select to be designated an absentee mail voter, or to remove the designation of absentee mail voter

SECTION 2. The first sentence of section 47C of said chapter 51 of the General Laws, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “addresses” the following words: , absentee mail voter designation

SECTION 3. Section 65 of chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the section 7 of chapter 205 of the acts of 2018, is hereby amended in subsection d, paragraph 3, by striking out the word “or” and inserting after the word “attestation”  the following words:- ; or (iii) be added to the list of absentee mail voters

SECTION 4. Chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out section 86 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 86. Any voter whose application for an official absent voting ballot has been filed with the city or town clerk as provided in section eighty-nine, and certified under section 91, may vote in accordance with sections 87 to 103, inclusive.

A voter, through a voter registration affidavit or an application for an official absent voting ballot, may select to be designated an absentee mail voter. The state secretary shall maintain this information in the central registry of voters, and shall send written notice to a city or town clerk, which may be sent electronically, of any voter in the city or town designated as an absentee mail voter. The city or town clerk shall maintain a list of such absentee mail voters.

Not later than twenty-eight days before every primary, preliminary election or election, the city or town clerk shall send to each voter whose name appears on the list of absentee mail voters an official absent voting ballot in accordance with section 91B.

SECTION 5. The second sentence of section 91 of said chapter 54 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the words “who will be absent from said city or town on the date of the election and”.

SECTION 6. Section 96 of said chapter 54 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the words “including that the voter was not unable by reason of physical disability to cast his vote in person at the polling place on the day of the election,”.

SECTION 7. The state secretary shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of section 86 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as amended.

SECTION 8. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2021.