Voting groups in Massachusetts push for same-day voter registration

By: Jodi Reed

BOSTON (WWLP) – Massachusetts voters broke a record this year with more than 3.3 million people casting a ballot.

Massachusetts residents had 3 options when it came to voting this year. They could mail their ballots in, they could vote early or show up to the polls on election day, and these options are something that many people believe should stay in place well beyond the pandemic.

Prior to this election, Massachusetts residents could vote by absentee ballot, but they had to have a reason for not being able to vote in person.  

When the pandemic hit, Secretary of State William Galvin worked with the legislature to establish a statewide mail-in voting system, sending ballot applications to every registered voter in the state.

Organizations like MassVote still believe that Massachusetts could do more to increase voter turnout.

“And we believe that a number of reforms have to be implemented to make that possible, one of them is same-day registration,” Alex Psilakis told 22News.

Same day registration would allow residents to register to vote right at the polls, a system that is already in place in more than 20 states nationwide. 

This story originally appeared on 22 News. Check it out here!