*Massachusetts Legislature Passes Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)*

[appalachiablue]

Common Cause, July 12, 2018.



Today, the Massachusetts legislature became the latest state to successfully pass legislation to enable automatic voter registration (AVR). The bill, passed by both houses of the state legislature, will now head to Governor Charlie Baker following several other procedural votes, which are expected next week. Once he receives the bill, Governor Baker has ten days to sign, veto, or amend the bill. The legislation would allow eligible voters to automatically register to vote when they interact with the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the state’s MassHealth program, unless they choose to opt out.

Should Gov. Baker sign the bill, Massachusetts would be the 14th state, plus the District of Columbia, to adopt AVR. Since 2015, states have passed or adopted similar measures that could add millions of eligible voters to the rolls include Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. AVR will also be on the November 2018 ballot in Nevada and possibly Michigan.

“Massachusetts is the latest of a growing number of states that have moved proactively to pass automatic voter registration measures to give more of their citizens a voice in selecting their representatives and the federal, state, and local level,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause. “Momentum continues to build in states from coast-to-coast to pass automatic voter registration measures in red and blue states alike. Common Cause members and staff have played key roles in moving these measures forward in numerous states, giving more Americans the chance to make their voices heard on Election Day and beyond.”

Advocates and activists hailed the bill’s passage as a positive step toward protecting access to the ballot, improving the accuracy of the voter rolls, and modernizing the state’s elections infrastructure in the face of growing threats....more..
https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/massachusetts-legislature-passes-automatic-voter-registration/

[AlexSFCA]

1. this and also automatic vote by mail

would be great, I’ve never been to a polling place, always did mail

[appalachiablue]

3. Vote by mail, lucky you. I hope one day we have it in more places.

[Totally Tunsie]

2. I'll bet it's great when it works.

When I moved to RI several years ago and changed over my driver's license, I took advantage of their "motor/voter" option. Went to the polls on mid-terms Election Day, and they had no record of me as my registration had not transferred from the DMV. The untrained volunteers gave me what they claimed was a provisional ballot, but it had no candidate names on it, and was actually just the application for a provisional. The elderly volunteer was completely confused and told me to write all my votes on the back of the application. Seems they had no ballots on hand at the polling location. Then had to go downtown to the City Clerk's office to fill out a provisional there. Huge pain in the ass, but I was determined to get my vote in.

Hopefully their systems work better now, and I hope Massachusetts does a better job of implementing.

[appalachiablue]

4. Better luck for the next election, hope they get it together.

[Totally Tunsie]

5. Fortunately, once registered, always registered

as long as I don't change addresses. Once I registered in the usual manner, it was fine.