AG HEALEY ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE VOTER
PROTECTION INITIATIVE
Pledges Prosecution of Voter Intimidation; Establishes Task Force to Ensure Election Protection; Launches Voter Education Campaign Across Massachusetts
BOSTON
– With a clear message that her office will protect the right to vote in
Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey today announced major initiatives
to ensure election integrity in the weeks leading up to November 3.
“As Election Day
approaches, I want each and every voter to know that my office is working hard
to ensure your vote is counted, your voice is heard, and our elections have integrity,”
AG Healey said. “We are here to strengthen trust in our democratic process and
protect your right to vote.”
Election
Protection Task Force
AG
Healey has made voter protection and election integrity a priority of her
office
and is taking action to ensure a free and fair election. She convened an
internal task force to coordinate election protection related priorities across
the office and with state attorneys general across the country.
The task force
includes attorneys in the AG’s Office with expertise in civil rights, civil
litigation, and criminal prosecution. Its work is focused on ensuring that
every ballot cast is counted and preparing to respond to and prosecute voter
intimidation, which includes staffing the office’s civil rights hotline to
address concerns of interference at the polls.
The AG’s Office
has launched a new website with resources available for voters, including
important dates, information about voting options, and how the AG’s Office is
protecting your right to vote. For more information,
visit mass.gov/protectthevote.
This week, the
AG’s Office will also distribute thousands of voter protection flyers in
multiple languages to the state’s community-based organizations, faith-based
groups, neighborhood associations, disability rights advocates, senior centers,
colleges and universities, government officials, and municipalities. The flyers have been translated to Arabic, Chinese,
Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and are also available
online at mass.gov/votingflyers.
The AG’s Voter Protection Flyer has information about how to vote, including
making sure voters register or confirm their voter registration at www.RegisterToVoteMA.com by the deadline
of October 24, 2020. Voters can vote four ways:
- Vote
Early by Mail: Apply now at www.MailMyBallotMA.com. We recommend you submit your
application by October 20. Return your ballot by mail or deliver it in
person to your local election office, an official ballot return drop box,
or any early voting location in your city or town during early voting
hours. Your ballot must be postmarked or dropped off by November 3 and, if
mailed, must be received by your local election office by November 6.
Track your ballot at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com or look up drop-off locations
at www.mass.gov/vote.
- Vote
Early in Person: Vote at an early voting location in your city or town
between October 17 and October 30. Early voting locations and hours will
be posted by October 9 on www.MassEarlyVote.com.
- Vote
Absentee: You can vote absentee if you will be out of town or
have a physical disability or a religious belief that prevents you from
voting at your polling location. Request an absentee ballot by October 28
and postmark or drop off your ballot by November 3. If mailed, your ballot
must be received by your local election office by November 6. Request an
absentee ballot application by calling 1-800-462-VOTE or visiting www.mass.gov/vote.
- Vote in Person on Election Day: On November 3, vote at your polling location between 7
a.m. and 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you have the right to vote.
Confirm your polling location at www.WhereDoIVoteMA.com.
The
AG’s flyer also discusses voters’ rights to equal access, to vote without
intimidation and to have their vote counted.
- Right to Equal Access: All polling locations are required to be accessible,
have an accessible voting booth, and have a system that allows voters with
disabilities to mark their ballot privately and independently. People with
disabilities may also have someone assist them at an early voting or
polling location, use the accessible vote-by-mail system, or vote
absentee. Call 1-800-462-VOTE / TTY: 1-800-720-3480 for more info or visit
www.mass.gov/vote.
- Right to Vote without Intimidation: State law prohibits election interference and voter
intimidation. If someone verbally or physically confronts you while you
are trying to vote, requests documentation where none is required, follows
you, or interferes in some other way with your right to vote, call the
Attorney General’s Office at 617-963-2917.
- Right to Have Your Vote Counted: If you vote by mail, track your ballot at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com to make sure it is received and accepted. If your
ballot is rejected, your local election official should contact you and
send another—you can submit the ballot or vote in person. If you receive a
mail ballot but do not return it or if you are concerned your election
office will not receive it in time, you may vote in person.
Protecting Against Voter
Intimidation
Voters have the
right to cast their ballot free from intimidation, harassment, or interference.
State and federal laws protect this right and AG Healey has said that those who
engage in this type of illegal activity will be prosecuted. The law prohibits
voter intimidation by public officials and private citizens alike.
In September, after President Trump threatened to send law enforcement
officials to polling locations to monitor elections, AG Healey’s Office issued
an advisory to
make clear that intimidating or interfering with voters is illegal. The
advisory reminds voters that their right to vote safely and free from
intimidation, harassment, and coercion is protected under federal and state
law.
AG Healey is
reminding voters that if someone verbally or physically threatens or harasses
you while you are trying to vote, or interferes in some other way with your
right to vote, you can call the AG’s Civil Rights Division for help at
617-963-2917. If you need immediate assistance,
dial 911 or contact your local police department.
Multistate Action
AG
Healey joined a coalition of
attorneys general in filing for a preliminary injunction,
which was granted, in a lawsuit seeking an immediate halt to illegal
changes to the United States Postal Service (USPS) that interfere with postal
workers’ ability to effectively deliver the mail. In their lawsuit,
the attorneys general assert that in some parts of the country, USPS’s actions
from July 2020 have led to significant delays, harmed veterans, seniors, and
rural communities, and could disrupt the November election without court
intervention.
Information regarding voter registration and voting procedures
in Massachusetts can be found on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections
Division website at: www.sec.state.ma.us/ele.
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