Overview
In seven states, including Maine, Minnesota, Wyoming and Wisconsin,
eligible voters can register and vote on Election Day. Here in Massachusetts, citizens
who miss the deadline—20 days prior to Election Day—are out of luck. In a
day and age when technology affords us the tools to make many kinds of transactions instantaneous, we should use it
for the most important of purposes—promoting democracy.
Senator Cynthia Creem and
Representative Gloria Fox are the chief sponsors of the Election Day
Registration bill, which bring Massachusetts
into the 21st century and allow citizens to register to vote on
Election Day. This reform will increase voter participation, ensure that votes
are counted, and extend this most fundamental of rights—the right to
vote—to new constituencies.
On May 30, 2007 the Joint Committee on Election Laws
held a hearing on the Election Day registration bill. The hearing room was
packed with supporters, including election administration officials from
several other states that have Election Day registration. Among others who
testified in support were Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Secretary of State William Galvin,
and the bill’s sponsors.
