Secretary of State William Galvin plans to appeal a judge’s ruling that abolishes a voter registration deadline of 20 days before an election. Galvin said removing the 20-day cutoff could lead to more work for town clerks. He contends there is little demand for a change. “The 20-day period is something the clerks need to make sure the voting is accurate,” he said. “They made no showing that there were these thousands of people. … The idea that there’s this large group of people out there that’s suffering because of the 20-day period simply isn’t true.” On Monday, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled that the cutoff was unconstitutional because it prevented thousands of voters from making it to the polls on election day. Wilkins used last year’s successful early voting as his main argument against the cutoff.
The early voting change allowed voters to begin casting their ballots five days after the registration cutoff. Wilkins said there was no necessity for a cutoff in light of that fact.
Galvin said his decision to contact the attorney general for a 60-day stay of the ruling is the start in an expedited appeal process. Having same-day voter registration is something he believes will lead to serious voter fraud and other complications that would lead to ballots being tossed in the trash.
“It would lead to chaos, and I think it will lead to situations where people get the wrong ballot.”
Full Article: Galvin plans appeal of ruling on voter registration deadline.