Around New England

Massachusetts House Approves Universal Mail-In Voting This Year

June 6, 2020

If the Massachusetts House of Representatives prevails, any registered Massachusetts voter will be allowed to vote in the mail this September and November.

The bill passed 155-1 in the Massachusetts House. The only no vote came from state Representative Colleen Garry (D-Dracut).

No Republicans voted against it.

Under the proposal, voters would have up until one week before the election to request a mail-in ballot, unless they are hospitalized. Those who are hospitalized could get one until the day before election day.

“The options in this bill ensure that every voice will be heard in every vote that is counted,” state Representative John Lawn (D-Watertown) told Commonwealth Magazine.

Supporters say mail-in ballots expand the voting franchise. Opponents say it expands the opportunities for voting fraud.

The measure (Massachusetts House Bill 4768) passed the House on Thursday, June 4. It now moves to the Massachusetts Senate.