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MassVOTE Library

Public Library of Voter and Election Resources

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Massachusetts Cities

Voting Resources

Voting Rights and Election Reform

Election Reform Links

MassVOTE Reports

Massachusetts Cities

Voter Registration and Turnout in the November General Elections
Boston 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf	Lynn 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf
Brockton 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf	Somerville 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf
Chelsea 2002-2004 excel \|\| pdf	Springfield 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf
Lowell 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf	Worcester 2000-2004 excel \|\| pdf
Download the User Guide to Voter Turnout for help interpreting the data.

2000 Census Profiles and Precinct Maps of Cities by Voting Precincts (precint maps on last page of all profiles except Boston)
Boston	Holyoke	Salem
Brockton	Lawrence	Somerville
Cambridge	Lowell	Springfield
Chelsea	Lynn	Waltham
Fall River	Malden	Worcester
Fitchburg	New Bedford
Framingham	Randolph

Voting Resources

Resource	Year	Author	Content
Absentee Voting	2005	MassVOTE	Absentee Ballot info for voters unable to go to the polls on the Tuesday Election
Download Absentee Ballot Application Here
How to Register	2005	MassVOTE	Information on Registering to Vote in Massachusetts
National Voter Registration Guide	2003	Election Assistance Commission	National Registration Form
Request Mass. Registration Card Here
Info for New Voters	2005	MassVOTE	General information about Massachusetts elections
Election Year Calendar	2006	MassVOTE	Election Dates and Last Days to Register to Vote
Rights at Polls	2005	MassVOTE	A short list of common rights voters have on Election Day
Can’t Vote?	2005	MassVOTE	5 things someone can do to get out the vote -- even if they are not eligible to vote
Do I need ID to Vote?	2005	MassVOTE	Explains when voters are required to show ID to vote in Massachusetts
Who We Elect	2005	MassVOTE	A list of which officials are elected and years in which these elections occur in Massachusetts

Voting Rights and Election Reform

At-Large Voting
Ballot Access
Campaign Reform - Clean Elections
Changes in Tuesday Voting - Time Off To Vote, Holidays, Extended Voting Hours
Election Day Registration
Electoral College
Federal Legislation - Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Felon Enfranchisement
Initiative and Referendum Process
Mail In, Absentee and Early Voting
Majority Voting, Rank Voting & IRV
Modern Election Equipment
New Citizens and Language Minorities
Poll Workers and Poll Procedures
Proportional Voting
Redistricting
Voter Education Strategies
Voters with Disabilities

At-Large Voting
Title	Author	Year	Summary
FAQ-Sheet-You Asked	MassVOTE	2004	Know the truth. What is winner-take all voting and how does it affect your voting power.
City Council Chart	MassVOTE	2004	At large voting in City Councils Minority representation on City Councils in Massachusetts.
School Committee Chart	MassVOTE	2004	At large voting in School Committees Minority representation on School Committees in Massachusetts
At Large Study in Lowell	MassVOTE and Dan Toomey	2002	Lowell is one of two cities left with all At Large voting for City Council and School Committee. This report documents the inequities and recommends solutions.
Ballot Access
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Running for Office as a Sticker or Write-In Candidate	Secretary of State and MassVOTE	2002	Outlines the requirements and qualifications to run as a sticker candidate in a MA primary or general election.
Campaign Reform - Clean Elections
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Political Reform That Works: Public Campaign Financing Blooms in Tucson	Center for Governmental Studies;Los Angeles	2003	"A report on the workings of public financing of city elections in Tucson, Arizona from 1987-2003."
A Statute of Liberty: How New York City's Campaign Financing Law is Changing the Face of Local Elections	Center for Governmental Studies;Los Angeles	2003	A report on workings of public financing of city elections in New York City from 1989-2001.
Clean Money Campaign Reform	Public Campaign, Washington DC	2003	A summary of the elements of a Clean Money model for public funding of local, state or federal campaigns.
Investing in Democracy	Center for Governmental Studies, Los Angeles	2003	A Guide to creating public funding of campaigns in a city or state. Provides a range of options for policymakers and activists.
On the Brink of Clean: Launching San Francisco’s New Campaign Finance Reforms	Center for Governmental Studies, Los Angeles	2002	Examines San Francisco’s new campaign finance law and proposes reforms to close loopholes in the law while preserving the intent of supporting voters.
Public Financing Laws in Local Jurisdictions	Center for Governmental Studies, Los Angeles	2003	This chart examines the laws of all 12 local cities in the United States with public funding of city races. It summarizes the characteristics of each program.
Public Funding and Free TV in Advanced Democracies	MassVOTE	2004	Looks at the world’s most advanced democracies and specifies if those countries have public funding and free television.
Clean Money, Clean Elections Comparisons: An Inventory of CMCE Legislation	Public Campaign, Washington DC	2002	Description of the provisions in Public Campaigns, “Model CMCE Bill” accompanied by assistance in drafting a comprehensive CMCE bill.
Letter to MA Nurses Association MA Office of Campaign and Political Finance	MA Office of Campaign and Political Finance	1997	Clarifies legal financial contributions that a non profit corporation can contribute to a political action committee, candidate, candidate committee, or party.
Summary of States with Significant Public Funding for Candidates	MassVOTE, Mass Money & Politics, Common Cause	2004	Summarizes public funding programs by state, source of funds, and major characteristics.
Color of Money	Public Campaign, Washington DC	2003	How Latinos, Blacks and other racial minorities are excluded from the political system because of the money required to hold influence.
Changes in Tuesday Voting - Time off to Vote, Holidays, Extending Voting Hours
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Why do we vote on Tuesday? What are the alternatives?	MassVOTE	September 2004	Fact Sheet answers questions on the origins of Tuesday voting and discusses alternatives from Time Off to Vote to early voting and other ideas.
A State-by-State Summary	Business Owner’s Toolkit	October 2002	Time-off-to-vote laws can be found in 30 states and require that employees who are registered voters be given time off from work.
Time Off Policies in the 50 States	Federal Election Commission	2003	A chart prepared from the FEC website by MassVOTE
Reasons Why Registered Voters Don’t Vote	U.S. Census survey for the 2000 Election	2001	The US Census gives a summary of the reasons registered voters give most often for not voting.
Time Off to Vote Language Recommended for Personnel Policies	U.S. Chamber of Commerce	2002	The US Chamber of Commerce has good suggestions for a basic employee policy for granting Time Off to Vote.
Election Day Registration
Title	Author	Year	Summary
About Election Day Registration	Demos	2005	A three page fact sheet on EDR describing its benefits and debunking some myths about its detractions.
Making Voting Easier: Election Day Registration in NY	Demos	Apr-04	This brief report describes the particular benefits of EDR for NY and how to deal with difficulties in its implementation.
High 2004 Turnout for States with Election Day Registration	Demos	2005	A two page summary of turnout results for the 2004 election in states with EDR vs. those without and in battleground states with EDR vs. battleground states without.
Election Day Registration Requirements-Minnesota	City of Minneapolis Election Committee	2004	Guidelines and requirements for Election Day Registration in Minnesota.
Election Day Registration Helps America Vote	Demos: Network of Ideas & Action	2003	The advantage of EDR is obvious. States that implement same day voter registration have a higher voter turn out than states that don’t.
Expanding the Vote: The Practice and Promise of Election Day Registration	Demos: Network of Ideas & Action	2003	Find out which six state lead the nation in voter registration and turnout rates and why.
Fact Sheet	MassVOTE	2004	Get the abc’s of Election Day Registration here. This facts sheet defines EDR and takes a look at the advantages, as well as the drawbacks to same day registration.
Electoral College
Title	Author	Year	Summary
The Shrinking Battleground: the 2008 Presidential Elections and Beyond	FairVote	2005	This report examines the dwindling power of voters in non-battleground states and concludes that the Electoral College should be abolished in favor of a National Vote for President.
Why the Electoral College Should be Abolished	ElectionMethods.Org	2004	Commentary on the history of and reasons to abolish the Electoral College by an observer of U.S. electoral methods.
History, Slavery, Sexism, the South, and the Electoral College: Part One Of A Three-part Series On The 2000 Election And The Electoral College	Akhil Reed Amar and Vikram David Amar (for findlaw.com)	2001	Two law professors (Yale, UC Hastings) write an illuminating history of the Electoral College - with its roots in slavery and overrepresenting slaveholder states.
Time for a National Election: Re-enfranchising 130 million second class voters	"George Pillsbury, Director, Center for Nonprofits and Voting; Re-enfranchising 130 million second class voters"	2004	This opinion piece discusses how the Electoral College reduces the majority of voters in the 30+ non-swing states to a second class status - a situation that is statistically worse for voters of color who live disproportionately in these states. It calls for eliminating or overhauling the Electoral College to achieve one person, one vote and to end the legacy of racial bias in American voting.
Federal Legislation - Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Title	Author	Year	Summary
MASS HAVA State Plan	presented by William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth	2002	The state plan provides readers with an overview of the elections in Massachusetts, and looks at how the state is preparing to implement HAVA.
Help America Vote Act of 2002--Enacted Bill	public state law 107-252 107th Congress	2002	HAVA enacted Bill.
Ready for Reform? Help America Vote Act Compliance Timeline	Electionline.org	2003	The Help America Vote Act of 2002 has various requirements that states must meet over a four year period.
Elections: Additional Data Could Help State and Local Elections Officials Maintain Accurate Voter Registration Lists	Government Accountability Office	June-05	This report looks at methods used in seven states to verify voter eligibility and to ensure accuracy of voter registration lists and makes several recommendations to improve both.
Felon Enfranchisement
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Diminished Voting Power in the Latino community: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in Ten Targeted States	MALDEF, A collaborative partner in the Rights to Vote Campaign	December 2003	State felony laws exclude millions of adult citizens from exercising their right to vote The study examines how this data impacts Latino ex-felons.
Losing the Vote - The Impact of Felon Disenfranchisement Laws in US	The Sentencing Project and Human Rights Watch	October 1998	In 46 states and the District of Columbia criminal disenfranchisement laws deny the vote to adult ex-felons.
Democracy Denied: the Racial History and Impact of Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States.	Demos	Apr-03	"This report gives a brief overview of felon disenfranchisement paying particular attention to its racial bias and its effect on minority communities, the lack of any justification for its continued existence and recent moves to undo it."
About Felon Disenfranchisement	Demos	2005	A three page Q&A on felon disenfranchisement.
Punishing at the Polls: the Case Against Disenfranchising Citizens with Felony Convictions	Demos	2003	"This report provides a detailed overview of the history of felon disenfranchisement and the arguments for and against it. The report concludes that permanent felon disenfranchisement accomplishes nothing worthwhile while unfairly denying a basic right to many Americans, particularly people of color."
Restoring Voting Right to Citizens with Felony Convictions	Demos	2004	"This four page "toolkit" provides basic information about felon disenfranchisement, explains why it should be ended and suggests what readers can do to help. "
Right to Vote Research Toolkit: How to Survey Voting Registration Procedures for People with Felony Convictions	Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School	2005	The research toolkit provides detailed instructions on how to survey local and state agencies on voter registration procedures for people with a felony conviction.
Initiative and Referendum Process
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Initiative and Referendum in the 21st Century: Final Report and Recommendations of the NCSL I&R Task Force National Conference of State Legislatures	National Conference of State Legislatures	2002	Report of a task force to examine impact of the usage of impacts and referendums. Suggests alternatives to this process that make it more representative.
Worry Free Lobbying for Nonprofits: How to Use the 501(h) Election to Maximize Effectiveness	Alliance for Justice, Washington DC	2003	Explores how lobbying can be conducted legally and effectively via the 501(h) election and urges public charities to investigate the 501(h) to help eliminate misconceptions about the many related rules.
501(h) Election official IRS form: Election/Revocation of Election by an Eligible Section 501 (c)(3) Organization To Make Expenditures To Influence Legislation	IRS and Dept of Treasury	Current	This form allows a 501 (c)(3) to maintain tax exempt status while making contributions for legislation under section 501(h).
Mail In, Absentee and Early Voting
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Absentee Voting/Mail-In Voting and Early Voting in the 50 States	Center for Non-profits and Voting, MassVOTE	2004	Tables of states with no-excuse absentee voting and states with early voting
Majority Voting, Rank Voting & IRV
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Bush vs. Gore: Who would win in an IRV Election	created by MassVOTE--from election data	2003	See who wins in an instant runoff where voters have a second choice.
Improving Runoffs with Instant Runoff Voting	Fairvote	May-05	"This one page fact sheet on IRV describes how IRV works, its benefits and where in the U.S. it is already in use."
Improving Runoffs: Instant Runoff Voting and Federal Election Law	FairVote	2005	This two page fact sheet describes some of the benefits of IRV and makes two specific recommendations to federal lawmakers on how to pave the way for the introduction of IRV in federal elections.
Bush vs. Gore 2000 IRV	MassVOTE	2004	In the 2000 election who would win Florida in an IRV Election.
Fair Elections and the Law for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts	Center for Voting and Democracy, Washington DC	2003	Discusses the necessary changes in order to implement voting reforms such as IRV, choice voting, cumulative voting, one-vote, and list voting and gives a legal overview of election reform.
Fair Voting Methods (for multi-seat elections)	MassVOTE	2002	Reference sheet for dealing with at-large or multi-winner elections that examines limited voting, choice voting, and cumulative voting.
Instant Run Off Voting in Massachusetts	MassVOTE	2002	Provides a synopsis of the status of IRV in Massachusetts and links to resources about IRV.
Instant Runoff Voting (Majority Choice Voting)	MassVOTE	2001	Explains the characteristics of instant run off voting (IRV), outlines the benefits, identifies other democracies that use IRV, and contrasts IRV with the current American system of plurality.
Modified At-Large Voting Systems for U.S. Local Elections	Center for Voting and Democracy, Washington DC	2002	Examines three versions of modified at-large systems: limited voting, cumulative voting, and choice voting.
Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Runoff Voting	Center for Voting and Democracy, Washington DC (ed. MassVOTE)	2004	FAQ on Instant Runoff Voting by the leading national organization on fair voting methods.
Modern Election Equipment
Title	Author	Year	Summary
New Voting Equipment for Boston-Fact Sheet Highlights	BostonVOTE		Fact Sheet highlights the replacement of dinosaur lever machines in Boston and looks at modern options.
Voting Equipment Comparison	BostonVOTE	2003	A comparison sheet that looks at the advantage of touch screen voting versus the problems of optical scan voting.
Immediate Steps to Avoid Lost Votes - Recommendations by MIT-CalTech to Election Asst Commission	Caltech/MIT	July 2004	The study looks at major steps that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) should take to improve November 2004 Election.
Asking the Right Questions (executive summary only)	National Academies of Science	Sept. 2005	This report on electronic voting concludes that electronic voting holds great promise, but that in order for it to become viable more funding, research and public education are required.
New Citizens and Language Minorities
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Minority Language Citizens Sect 203 of the Voting Rights Act	U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting Section	2004	The Law says that that states must provide voting materials in the language of their minority citizens, in an addition to English.
The Attorney General’s Language Minority Guidelines	U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting Section	2004	A general guideline for understanding and implementing section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1992, Determination under Sect 203	Federal Register/Vol. 67, No. 144/Friday, July 26, 2002	2002	Section 203 says the state has a legal obligation to provide minority language citizens with assistance. Here is a list of states and counties bound by this law.
"Hispanics in the 2004 Election: Population, Electorate and Voters"	Pew Hispanic Center	June-05	This report examines demographic and other data in order to better understand Latino turnout in the 2004 election, the growing power of the Latino vote and Latino support for President Bush.
Sound Barriers: Asian Americans and Language Access in Election 2004	"NAPALC, AAI, ALC, APALC"	Aug. 2005	This report draws attention to the continuing problems experienced by Asian American voters particularly with regard to the language barrier many Asian Americans face at the polls. The report makes several recommendations on how to improve ballot access for Asian American voters.
New Report Highlights Problems Faced by Asian Americans as They Vote	Pacific News Service	Aug. 2005	This news article summarizes the finding of a report released by NALPAC entitled "Sound Barriers: Asian Americans and Language Access in Election 2004.
Poll Workers and Poll Procedures
Title	Author	Year	Summary
A Guide to Voting on Election Day	Reformatted by Boston Vote, w/ support from the Civic Engagement Initiative	2004	An overview of the Massachusetts General Law that addresses some of the common issue that can arise on Election Day.
The Driver License Status of the Voting Age Population in Wisconsin	UWM Employment and Training Institute	June-05	This report examines the interrelationship of race/ethnicity, income and geography as they apply to driver's license status in light of recent proposals in Wisconsin's legislature to require photo ID in order to vote.
Democracy at Risk: The 2004 Election in Ohio	DNC: Voting Rights Institute	June-05	This report looks at problems in the administration of the 2004 election in Ohio. Particular attention is paid to problems with the number of qualified polls workers available, the number of voting machines available and their accuracy and the counting of provisional ballots.
Election Day Workers-NCSL	National Conference of State Legislatures	2002	Well trained election day workers can improve the reliability and fairness of the voting process.
Statewide List of Registered Voters and the Annual Resident Census	MassVOTE	2002	Explains the steps necessary to participate in the annual resident census and to remain an “active” voter in Massachusetts.
Election Reform Briefing: Voter Identification	The Constitution Project, Washington DC	2002	A review of state practices for verifying voters’ eligibility and identity.
Long Shadow of Jim Crow-Voter Intimidation and Suppression	People For the American Way, NAACP	2004	A detailed look at voter intimidation and suppression in America today.
Redistricting
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Defying One-Person, One-Vote: Prisoners and the “Usual Residence” Principle	Rosanna M. Taormina	November 2003	Prisoners boost representation in suburbs. Although prisoners are stripped of their right to vote, some states use their felon population for redistricting purposes, which violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Drawing Lines: A Public Interest Guide to Redistricting Reform	Center for Governmental Studies and Demos	Feb. 2005	This report on redistricting in California reviews the three most popular redistricting proposals and their shortcomings. It includes the McCarthy proposal, which appeared as Prop 77 on the 2005 ballot.
Voter Education Strategies
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Kids Voting/ Boston Fact Sheet	Kids Voting	March 2004	A nonprofit grass root organization dedicated to educating Boston’s youth about the importance of being informed and voting.
Student Advisory Panel (SAP)	BostonVOTE	2004	The student advisory panel adds a youth voice to the creation of programs, events and activities for Kids Voting Boston.
Voters with Disabilities
Title	Author	Year	Summary
Fact Sheet	From the Website of the Mass Office of Disability	2004	General information on agencies responsible for enforcing federal and state laws on voting for people with disabilities.
Letter to Election Clerks	From the Website of the Mass Office of Disability	2003	Letter reminding local election officers to enforce certain laws concerning voters with disabilities.
Massachusetts Polling Place Accessibility Study	Massachusetts Office on Disability	August 2004	A surveys of all 1488 polling stations throughout the state.

This Library opened in May 2004.
Resources are being added monthly.
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