22 Mayors Push MA Legislature For Vote By Mail Option

NEWTON, MA —Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller helped organize 21 other mayors, including the mayors of Salem, Cambridge, Melrose, and Worcester, to implore legislators to pass a vote by mail program for the upcoming election cycle, as a way to help ensure safe access to voting amid the pandemic.

"Our constituents deserve the opportunity to exercise their right to vote without risk of exposure to a deadly virus," reads a letter addressed to MA Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo and signed by the 22 mayors on April 21. "In this time of pandemic, no one should be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote. "

The letter describes the vote by mail program as a "gold standard" to ensure voter participation.

Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii already have programs and in response to COVID-19, New York, New Hampshire and Maryland have also passed similar legislation.

Massachusetts has always been a leader during challenging times for our country. The Commonwealth with the leadership of the Senate and House must lead again with ensuring safe, healthy, widely available ballot access by passing a Vote by Mail program.

"Even Dr. Anthony Fauci is uncertain when this current surge will subside, with experts projecting possible recurrence in the fall just as voters head to the polls for the statewide September 1 primary and the November 3 general election," reads the letter. "We see Vote by Mail as the best chance our constituents and Commonwealth have to protect the integrity of our 2020 elections and the health of our voters."

Massachusetts will hold its state primary election on Sept. 1 and the presidential election Nov. 3. But amid the pandemic it's unclear whether it will be safe to gather at a polling place.

Voters can currently only vote absentee if they cannot get to the polls if they have a disability, a religious belief that inhibits them, or if they are out of town, according to state law.

A recently passed bill broadens the definition of disability to include anyone who is ill or confined to their home because of the coronavirus. But that law is only pertinent to elections before July.

There are a number of proposals afoot. US Rep. Joe Kennedy, who lives in Newton, has urged legislators to pass a vote-by-mail initiative that would send a ballot to every registered voter.Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem, also of Newton, said she would prefer to let any voter request an early ballot by mail.

State Secretary William Galvin, who oversees voting in the state has also indicated he thinks it might be a good idea to allow a mail-in option, the Commonwealth Magazine reported.

Read the letter and see who else signed it:

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).