Amendment #27 to H4768

HWM Tech

Mr. Michlewitz of Boston moves to amend the bill in section 6 by inserting, in line 56, after the word “election” the following:- ; provided, however, that the state secretary shall not be required to send an application to any voter whose previous application for an absent or early ballot for the primary election or for all elections in calendar year 2020 has been accepted.

And moves to further amend the bill in section 6 by inserting, in line 60, after the word “election” the following:- ; provided, however, that the state secretary shall not be required to send an application to any voter whose previous application for an absent or early ballot for the general election or for all elections in calendar year 2020 has been accepted.

And moves to further amend the bill in subsection (d) of section 6 by adding the following two clauses:-

(iii) The state secretary or the election officers and registrars of every city or town shall mail to any registered voter updating their address on or after July 15, 2020 and on or before August 22, 2020 an application for said voter to be permitted to vote early by mail for the primary election.

(iv) The state secretary or the election officers and registrars of every city or town shall mail to any registered voter updating their address on or after September 14, 2020 and on or before October 24, 2020 an application for said voter to be permitted to vote early by mail for the general election.

And moves to further amend the bill in section 6 by striking out paragraph 5 of subsection (d), lines 72 through 76, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

(5)(i) Each application mailed pursuant to this subsection shall be provided in any language required by the bilingual election requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. § 10503.

(ii) Each application mailed to a voter in the city of Boston pursuant to this subsection shall include an option, which shall appear prominently on the application, to request a ballot printed in any language available at the voter’s polling location pursuant to chapter 166 of the acts of 2014.

And moves to further amend the bill in section 6, in line 103, by striking out the words “selected by the voter” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- required.

And moves to further amend the bill by striking out section 12 in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

SECTION 12. Notwithstanding section 29 of chapter 53 of the General Laws and sections 11, 11B, 12 and 13 of chapter 54 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, for the primary election and general election, if there is a deficiency in the number of required election officers, the appointing authority may appoint election officers without regard to political party membership, voter status, residence in the city or town or inclusion on a list filed by a political party committee pursuant to said sections 11B and 12 of said chapter 54. If the position of the warden, clerk or inspector, or the deputy of any such officer, if any, is vacant within the 3 weeks preceding the primary or general election, the city or town clerk may appoint a person to fill the vacancy with a competent person willing to serve and without regard to political party membership, voter status, residence in the city or town or inclusion on a list filed by a political party committee pursuant to said sections 11B and 12 of said chapter 54.