Massachusetts would make mail-in voting and expanded early voting permanent options and install same-day registration for new voters under a bill the Senate plans to debate next week.
Senate Democrats unveiled their election reform bill on Thursday, pitching it as a way to remove obstacles to the ballot box and build on changes that suddenly gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee expects to release a copy of the bill Thursday, with the full Senate set to take it up during a Wednesday, Oct. 6 session, according to committee chair Michael Rodrigues.
The bill would permanently allow voters to cast mail-in ballots without an excuse, offer in-person early voting for two weeks before general elections and one week before primary elections, allow new voters to register and cast a ballot on Election Day or any early voting day, and boost ballot access for eligible incarcerated voters or people with disabilities.
Referencing election reforms in states with Republican legislative majorities, Senate President Karen Spilka said the bill would counter a “fundamentally un-American darkness” that is “spreading across the United States.”
House leaders have not said if they also plan to take up an elections reform bill this fall.
Lawmakers have more than six weeks ahead for formal sessions, before taking a six-week break from formals over the holidays.
(Copyright (c) 2025 State House News Service.