Current Actions

• Legislators: Support of election refrom

  We may have seen record voter-turnout levels in Massachusetts in 2012 but we also saw long-lines and frustrated voters.  It's time for Massachusetts to improve its election laws.  Massachusetts consistently ranks near the bottom when it comes to election modernizations.  Last year, Rock the Vote ranked Massachusetts 41st in the nation when it came to having an election system to works to engage young people. 
  
  It has been 6 months now since the presidential election and with one US Senate Primary down and a General Election coming up our laws remain the same.   Can you write your elected officials asking them for their support of election modernizations in Massachusetts right now?

• Legislators: Support of election refrom

  We may have seen record voter-turnout levels in Massachusetts in 2012 but we also saw long-lines and frustrated voters.  It's time for Massachusetts to improve its election laws.  Massachusetts has consistently ranked near the bottom when it comes to election modernizations.  For example, last year, Rock the Vote ranked Massachusetts 41st in the nation when it came to having election system to works to engage young people. 
  
  In the next week or so hearings will be held before the Election Laws Committee and we want to know, do your legislators support election modernizations?  Can you write your elected officials asking them for their support?

• You're right Mr. President, we need election reform now

  In his State of the Union Address President Obama said "When any American -- no matter where they live or what their party -- are denied that right because they can't wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals." 
  
  He's right.  We need reforms. 
  
  People like 102 year-old Desiline Victor shouldn't have to wait another year for change to come. 
  
  Please sign this petition thanking President Obama and our Massachusetts State Legislative Leadership (who have also called for change) and urge them to make 2013 the year of election modernization.

• Support election modernization today

  Last November, some voters in Massachusetts had to wait hours to cast their vote and many others did not vote due to our out-dated voter registration system. This must change.  It is time to pass comprehensive election reform legislation -- including election audits, pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds, online voter registration, Election Day Registration and more.

  Will you write your legislators today asking them to co-sponsor election modernization legislation in 2013?  The co-sponsor deadline is Friday, so please write today.

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• Your vote, your town -- better.

  The long lines at the polls on election day were unacceptable.  Voter registration lists are woefully inaccurate, and that means some people end up not voting.  Change can start at home. 

• We need shorter lines!

  The lines on Election Day were too long.   As President Obama said: "We have to fix that." 

  Please send a message to your Governor and State Legislators right now.   Edit your message to say what you think.

• Test

  Research shows voting is contagious -- if your friends and neighbors hear that you are voting, they will vote, too.

• Everybody's Voting

  Research shows voting is contagious -- if your friends and neighbors hear that you are voting, they will vote, too.

• These lines are just too long.

  Massachusetts runs voter registration and elections like it's 1994 -- causing confusion, extra long lines, and, for an unlucky few, disenfranchisement on Election Day.  You can't register online.  You can't register by phone.  You can't check your registration status online except in Boston. Your teen can't pre-register.  You can't register on Election Day.  You can't vote early.  We must do better.  Our state should be leading the effort to protect the right to vote.

• Thank you, Mayor Menino!

   Boston deserves fair district lines.  

• MA should stand up: No more corporate $ in elections.

  Last week the Massachusetts Senate passed a Resolution calling on Congress to overturn Citizens United with a constitutional amendment - it's time for the House to do the same.  It's also time to pass S304 the Disclose Bill which until Citizens United is overturned will mean that at least we will know who the corporations are and how much they are spending in our elections.

  Let's get corporate money out of politics - will you write your legislators today?

• Final Push: Pass the Election Reform Bill in the Senate

  The legislative session is over on July 31st.  The Election Reform Bill passed in the House but it still needs a vote in the Senate.  Your action makes a difference. Tell the Senate to pass The Election Reform Bill to:
  

  • Mandate random post-election audits to ensure that voting machines are working correctly and that your vote is counted accurately.
  • Let 16 and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote in Civics classes, youth groups, at the RMV, or their city or town hall, greatly increasing the number who will actually vote when they turn 18.
    
  • Let voters download and print out voter registration forms.
    
  • Improve training of election officers so they can better protect every citizen's right to vote.
    

  We're down to the line.  Let's win this.  Send a message to your Senator today.

  
  

• Sign the Petition - Protect the Right to Vote

  With Election Day approaching, it's time to defend the right to vote.

• Sign the Petition - Protect the Right to Vote

  With Election Day approaching, it's time to defend the right to vote.

• Pass The Election Reform Bill

  Use this easy tool to call your legislators today to ask them to take action and pass the election reform bill.  A sample script and the names of your legislators will appear after you enter your contact information below.

• Pass the Election Reform Bill in the Senate

  It's been 20 years since Massachusetts updated its systems for registering voters and for ensuring vote counts are accurate.  The Election Laws Reform bill of 2012 passed in the State House with overhwelming support at the end of May.  But for this bill to become law, it must pass in the State Senate too.
  
  Your action makes a difference. Tell the Senate to pass H4139 to:
  

  • Mandate random post-election audits to ensure that voting machines are working correctly and that your vote is counted accurately.
  • Let 16 and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote in Civics classes, youth groups, at the RMV, or their city or town hall, greatly increasing the number who will actually vote when they turn 18.
    
  • Let voters download and print out voter registration forms.
    
  • Improve training of election officers so they can better protect every citizen's right to vote.
    

  Voting rights are under attack across the US.  Massachusetts is way behind.  It's time to lead the fight to protect the right to vote.

• Pass the Election Reform Bill in the Senate

  It's been 20 years since Massachusetts updated its systems for registering voters and for ensuring vote counts are accurate.  The Election Laws Reform bill of 2012 passed in the State House with overwhelming support at the end of May.  But for this bill to become law, it must pass in the State Senate too.
  
  Your action makes a difference. Tell the Senate to pass H4139 to:
  

  • Mandate random post-election audits to ensure that voting machines are working correctly and that your vote is counted accurately.
  • Let 16 and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote in Civics classes, youth groups, at the RMV, or their city or town hall, greatly increasing the number who will actually vote when they turn 18.
    
  • Let voters download and print out voter registration forms.
    
  • Improve training of election officers so they can better protect every citizen's right to vote.
    

  Voting rights are under attack across the US.  Massachusetts is way behind.  It's time to lead the fight to protect the right to vote.

• Massachusetts, it's time to lead again!

  It's been 20 years since Massachusetts updated its systems for registering voters and for ensuring that vote counts are accurate. Tell Beacon Hill to pass H.4120 to:

  • let citizens download and print voter registration forms, (as you can in 48 states)
  • let teens pre-register so they can vote the day they turn 18, (as they can in a dozen states)
  • conduct random, public audits of precinct results so you can be certain your vote was counted accurately (as they do in 30 states)

  Voting rights are under attack across the US.  Massachusetts is way behind.  It's time to lead the fight to protect the right to vote.

• MA should stand up: No more corporate $ in elections.

  It's time for Massachusetts to pass resolution S772, a message from our state to Congress that we don't want to corporate money in our elections any longer and urging passage of a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision that corporations can spend unlimited millions to influence elections.  Will you write your legislators today?
  

• Pass S772 - Free speech is for people

  It's time Massachusetts took a stand against corporate dominance in our democracy.  The State Legislature should pass Resolution S772 to send a message to Congress that we, the people of Massachusetts, believe that free speech belongs to people, not corporations. 

  S772 declares that "the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hereby calls upon the United States Congress to pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the first amendment and fair elections to the people."

  Sign the petition today.

• Voting laws need a tune up, not a shakedown.

  In 2008, 1.5 million eligible adult citizens missed voting in Massachusetts.  We must do better.

  The Massachusetts Legislature should immediately pass new laws to

  • let citizens register to vote online
  • let teens pre-register so they can vote the day they turn 18,
  • let voters register on Election Day, and
  • mandate random, public audits of voting machines so you can be sure that your vote is counted correctly.
• Thank you, Attorney General Martha Coakley

  America says "No" to poll taxes.

  No one should be required to pay a fee or a tax to vote -- and that means that there can be no law to require current, valid, government-issued photo ID from every voter unless and until there is a simple way that citizens can get a free ID. There are no widely available free government photo ID's in Massachusetts.  There are too many families and seniors and young adults struggling to make ends meet to require them to pay $70 for a license or $25 for an ID just to vote. Sign the petition:

• No anonymous million dollar contributions

  The Supreme Court's terrible, divisive, 5-4 decision in Citizens' United v. FEC is hurting America.  Now, any corporation spend unlimited sums to make sure their candidates win.  This August, Mitt Romney's campaign for President and its affiliated political action committees have listed three different $1 million contributions from shadowy front companies.  Two companies in Utah and one in Massachusetts appear to have been set up to do nothing more than funnel money to the Romney campaign.  This is wrong.  No candidate for president should take corporate contributions.  And  none should take anonymous million dollar contributions from shell companies and front groups.

• Pass these election law reforms before the end of the year

  In order to make sure every eligible voter is prepared and registered to vote in 2012, MassVOTE is fighting to modernize Massachusetts' election laws through passing these reforms:
  
  •    Pre-Registration Lowering the voter registration age to allow 16 and 17 year-olds register early, so they are ready to vote the day they turn 18.
  
  •    Election Audits Randomly checking the accuracy of our voting machines against a hand count in a small percentage of precintcs across the state.
  
  •    Permanent Voter Registration So when you fill out a change of address form at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the Post Office, your voter registration will be automatically updated.
  
  •    Online Voter Registration Allowing eligible voters to register on a computer or mobile device.
  
  •    Election Day Registration To allow citizens to register to vote on election day with valid ID.
  
  The Massachusetts State Legislature needs to pass these election bills by the end of 2011, in order to implement these laws in time for the 2012 Elections. Each of these sensible pieces of legislation will help thousands of people vote and make sure their vote is counted accurately.
  

  Please use this site to write a letter to your state legislators and urge them to pass as many of these bills as possible before the end of 2011. Once you've sent your letter, please forward this link around to your friends, family and colleagues, the more people we mobilize the louder our collective voice becomes.

  Thank you for your support,

  MassVOTE

• BBQ Today. Vote Tomorrow.

  Host a house party, barbeque, or coffee to bring friends and neighbors together to learn about the high stakes for 2012.   Massachusetts was just ranked 42nd in the nation -- one of the ten worst -- for registering and educating voters.   Learn what MassVOTE is doing to make sure everyone votes in 2012, and how you can make a difference

• We want open and transparent redistricting in Massachusetts.

  Sign the petition.

• Register at 16. Vote at 18.

  Pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds means teens will be ready to vote the day they turn 18.

  

  Before every presidential election, there's a last-minute scramble to register new 18 year-olds to vote.  If you miss the deadline 20 days before Election Day, you can't vote.  In other states, pre-registration lets 16 and 17 year-olds fill out the form to register, so they are ready to vote -- and to become engaged young adults -- the day they turn 18. 
  

  Today, when teens get their licenses at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, they are usually too young to register.  If they fill out the form any way (and many do) they then receive a rejection letter, asking them to come back in a year or so.  It's a bad experience -- and a waste of time and money for administrators.
  
  Pre-registration strengthens high school voter registration drives. In other states, pre-registration has been offerred by teachers as part of high school Civics, Social Studies, and History.
  

  Legislators need to know it's time for them to voice their support -- so we can put pre-registration in place in time for 2012.
  

  Will you send your elected officials a message?

• Volunteer with MassVOTE

  Speak your voice.

• Register at 16. Vote at 18.

  Pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds means teens will be ready to vote the day they turn 18.

  

  Before every presidential election, there's a last-minute scramble to register new 18 year-olds to vote.  If you miss the deadline 20 days before Election Day, you can't vote.  In other states, pre-registration lets 16 and 17 year-olds fill out the form to register, so they are ready to vote -- and to become engaged young adults -- the day they turn 18.  Pre-registration gets a hearing at the State House on June 15.

  Today, when teens get their licenses at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, they are usually too young to register.  If they fill out the form any way (and many do) they then receive a rejection letter, asking them to come back in a year or so.  It's a bad experience -- and a waste of time and money for administrators.
  
  Pre-registration strengthens high school voter registration drives. In other states, pre-registration has been offerred by teachers as part of high school Civics, Social Studies, and History.
  

  Legislators need to know it's time for them to voice their support -- so we can put pre-registration in place in time for 2012.
  

  Will you send your elected officials a message?

• Support Permanent Voter Registration

  It's time for Massachusetts to update our voter registration database the same way businesses update their mailing lists.  When you change your address online with  the US Postal Service and or the Registry of Motor, the state should update your voter registration.  By reducing the need to data enter hand written forms, this measure will save thousands in annual costs.  And more people will vote in 2012... especially young people and renters who need to re-register every time they move.
  

  The Joint Committee on Election Laws is holding a hearing for the Permanent Registration bill this week!  Send a message to your legislators a message now.
  

• We want open and transparent redistricting in Massachusetts

  What is redistricting?

  Redistricting is the process of redrawing the districts that public officials are elected from and represent. It is required by our constitution to be conducted every ten years following the federal Census in order to adjust districts for shifts in population. The districts that are redrawn include those for members of Congress, State Senate, State House of Representatives and Governor’s Council.
  
  Why should you participate in the process?
  

  - Redistricting determines who will represent YOU!
  - Redistricting affects election outcomes.
  - Redistricting will give your community a voice and access to the political process.
  - Redistricting can encourage citizens to remain politically engage

  Massachusetts residents deserve an opportunity to review and comment on the maps developed by the Massachsuetts State Legislature's Joint Committee on Redistricting.  

• Time to Speak Out to Make Sure Your Vote is Always Counted Accurately

  In many states, voters like you can rest assured that their vote is always counted accurately.  Why?  Because they vote on paper ballots, and the machines that count the ballots are randomly audited -- you can stop by at a public event a week or two after an election and watch as the integrity of the count is verified.

  But not in Massachusetts.  We vote on paper -- but there are no random checks.  It's time to change that.  Legislators who are supporting the audit bill need to know it's time for them to testify on May 11, at a hearing of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.  Legislators who haven't taken a position need to know that now's the time to commit to common-sense election integrity.

  
  

• Boston voters deserve equal treatment!

  It's time to send a message to Boston Election Commission and Mayor Thomas Menino.  

  Boston voters deserve the same careful review and refinement of precinct lines that other communities get every 10 years -- but that Boston hasn't had in 70 years.  Every 10 years, other cities use new US Census information to create better precinct maps -- but not Boston.  Bad precinct lines mean you need to wait too long to vote or walk a long way.   Sign up to say Boston voters deserve the same rights as every other citizen -- starting with a new map now.