Worried that an issue that has majority support in both legislative chambers could be left on the cutting room floor when formal sessions end, a coalition of 42 organizations has asked House Speaker Robert DeLeo to move an automatic voter registration bill to the floor. Common Cause Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, ACLU Massachusetts, MassPIRG and others pressed DeLeo in a letter to advance a bill that would automatically register eligible voters when they interact with a state agency such as the Registry of Motor Vehicles or MassHealth, unless they choose to opt out.
“The end of the session is fast approaching, and we are concerned this bill will run out of time,” the organizations wrote to DeLeo. “In order for Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) to be in place for the next Presidential election in 2020, it must be enacted this session — next year would be too late — and that means getting it out of the House and on to the Senate in time to get it to the Governor’s desk before August.”
The letter, released Monday by Common Cause, was dated May 29 but Executive Director Pam Wilmot told the News Service the letter was delivered last week.
Full Article: Coalition pushes for passage of automatic voter registration bill | Local News | gloucestertimes.com.