HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1994        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 697

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

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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 increasing voter turnout.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1994        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 697

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act increasing voter turnout.

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. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission to study and provide recommendations on the practices the Commonwealth may take to increase voter turnout in Massachusetts. The special commission shall seek to find the quantifiable effects of various methods in which voter turnout may be increased through policy measures. The study shall seek to use an econometric difference in differences model or a more robust regression model that the commission sees fit, with longitudinal panel data to examine the effects of different election laws on targeting increased voter turnout. The special commission shall investigate states in the United States or other countries that have implemented election laws to increase voter turnout and determine the feasibility of instituting a similar approach in the commonwealth. Furthermore, the study shall show whether or not there is a statistically significant effect on voter outcome after the laws are enacted. The commission shall also seek to find the differences in policy preferences of non-voters and voters in the commonwealth and whether or not an increase in voter turnout would affect policy outcomes and quantify that effect. Election laws regarding voter turnout that shall be studied must include, but are not limited to, a statewide voting holiday, an entry into a lottery cash prize for voting, a tax credit for voting, access to the ballot for voting eligible incarcerated individuals, and a tax penalty for those who don’t vote. The special commission shall also make recommendations for guidelines and approaches to dealing and implementing the election laws with the strongest outcomes and feasibility. The special commission's recommendations may include, but are not limited to, implementing one or multiple elections laws or keeping the current laws the same. Furthermore, these recommendations shall consist of the best practices for announcing and implementing their final recommendations. If necessary, the special commission may seek advice from statisticians, econometricians and political scientists to determine the best method to model and approach this topic to achieve the most robust and sound results.

SECTION 2. The commission shall consist of the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on election laws, who shall serve as the co-chairs; the speaker of the house of representatives or a designee; the president of the senate or a designee; the house minority leader or a designee; the senate minority leader or a designee; the president of the Massachusetts Town Clerks’ Association or their designee; the president of the Massachusetts City Clerks’ Association or their designee; and four members to be appointed by the Governor, two of whom shall be individuals from a public interest group involved in election matters, one of whom shall be an individual with experience administering city elections chosen from a list of three names submitted to the Governor by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and one of whom shall be an individual with experience administering town elections chosen from a list of three names submitted to the Governor by the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Staff from the joint committee on election laws and staff from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division shall provide the necessary assistance. The commission shall hold no less than four public hearings.

SECTION 3. The commission shall submit its report and findings, along with any recommendations, to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on election laws, and the clerk of the house of representatives and senate within 12 months of the passage of this legislation