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By Madison Schulman This story appeared on Wicked Local Danvers. Check it out here!

By Katie Lannan | State House News Service This story appeared on GBH. Check it out here!

You can visit TrackMyBallotMA.com to make sure your mail-in ballot has been received; if it hasn't, you can still vote in person to ensure that your vote is counted By Ryan Kath and Jim Haddadin This story appeared on NBC 10. Check it out here!

By Melissa Hanson | mhanson@masslive.com This story appeared on MassLIVE. Check it out here!

By: Jodi Reed This story originally appeared on 22 News. Check it out here!

By Taylor Brokesh This story appeared in the Daily Free Press. Check it out here!

By Christian M. Wade This story appeared on Salem News. Check it out here!

By Steph Solis | ssolis@masslive.com This story appeared on Masslive.com. Check it out here.

]This Letter to the Editor originally appeared in The Boston Globe. Check it out here!

By Danny Jin, The Berkshire Eagle This story originally appeared in The Berkshire Eagle. Check it out here!

Our Letter to the Editor on vote by mail was featured in the Boston Globe. Check it out here!

By Stephen Peterson speterson@thesunchronicle.com We spoke to the Sun Chronicle on the January 6, 2020 storming of the Capitol in Washington, DC. See the full story here.

We were featured in the Boston Globe discussing vote by mail. Read the full story here!

SHIRA SCHOENBERG We were featured in CommonWealth Magazine discussing the voter turnout gap in the 2020 elections. Read the full story here.

Contact: Alex Psilakis, Policy and Communications Manager apsilakis@massvote.org | (508) 641-9761 January 14, 2021 STATEMENT: MassVOTE Calls for the Elimination of Unnecessary Special Elections in Boston Boston, MA – On Thursday, January 7, it was announced that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh would be joining the incoming Biden administration as Secretary of Labor. If Mayor Walsh is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, or chooses to resign, before March 5, then the city must hold a series of special elections to fill his seat. Yet the city is already set to hold its regularly-scheduled mayoral elections this fall. As a result, MassVOTE joins Boston City Councilor Arroyo, Secretary of State Galvin, and a number of other Massachusetts officials in calling for the elimination of these special elections. MassVOTE opposes holding these special elections for four reasons. First: voter fatigue and confusion. Forcing voters to turn out in two preliminary and two general elections would inevitably lead to voter fatigue, confusion, and consequently, lower voter turnout. This would especially impact the city’s Black and brown, immigrant, and low-income communities, who already face substantive barriers to the ballot box. Sticking with one preliminary election in September and one general election in November would best serve these voters, and all of the city’s voters. Second: the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. Last week, Boston suffered 6,591 active COVID19 cases. Bostonians continue to die each day. Though COVID19 has been with us for more than a year, and vaccine distribution is increasing, we clearly do not have the virus under control. It continues to wreak havoc on the public health, economic, and housing sectors of Boston and Massachusetts. The virus is very likely to pose a threat when the special elections take place, and, as a result, reinforces why we should not hold said special elections. Third: cost. The cost of running each special election in Boston is approximately $750,000. These funds cover dozens of polling locations, which require equipment and personnel. To run two special elections would cost Boston at least $1.5 million. Instead of going to two unnecessary elections, these funds would be much better spent elsewhere. Fourth: precedent. This past December, Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera announced that he would be stepping down to serve as the president and CEO of MassDevelopment. In the following weeks, the city of Lawrence passed a home rule petition, which the state passed, to skip a special election to fill his seat. They did so because the regularly-scheduled elections were already scheduled for this fall. The City Council President, Kendrys Vasquez, will serve until a new mayor is elected in November. The state should take the same steps with Boston as it did Lawrence, eliminating unnecessary special elections. For the four reasons noted above, we urge officials to eliminate these unnecessary special elections. Doing so would not only empower the voters of Boston, but save the city time, money, and effort that could be better spent elsewhere. ### MassVOTE is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to voting rights, voter education, and social justice.

Interning at MassVOTE has been the highlight of my semester. I absolutely loved everything about it. As a first-year government student I had a passion for law and policy but I didn’t have any real life experience working with it. Through this internship I learned how to write about different policies and pieces of legislation like Election Day Registration and Early Voting by drafting both constituent letters and letters to the editor. I also learned about the importance of education and spreading the word. The more educated people are on particular issues the more likely they are going to do something about them. During my time there I was also able to learn a lot about the organization as a whole. Everyday the staff at MassVOTE works to make voting more accessible to everyone especially those in underprivileged communities while also working to educate folks on why their vote matters, all while pushing legislators to create policies that will make that happen. Although I am stepping away from my intern position, MassVOTE and their mission will be in my heart forever. I am beyond grateful to Cheryl, J., and Tegan for being such wonderful role models and allowing me to join the MassVOTE family. And to Alex I am especially grateful for being such a wonderful boss and showing me through your passion how important this work really is. Overall this experience is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. It saddens me to say goodbye but I know they will continue to do amazing work and make an incredibly large difference. With the utmost gratitude, Haley Donovan, Suffolk University Policy and Communications Intern Spring 2020

“Wisconsin’s April 7th Presidential Primary is proving a chaotic, disorganized election that emphasizes why Massachusetts must implement long-term electoral reform in light of the COVID19 crisis,” said Alex Psilakis, Policy and Communications Manager at MassVOTE. “Contradictory court rulings, absentee ballots that will go uncounted, an immense lack of election officials, polling sites that do not enforce social distancing practices – all of these are unprecedented challenges that are deterring the voices of Wisconsin’s voters. Yet if Massachusetts does not act rapidly and decisively, we risk facing similar conditions in our September State Primary and November General Election. “While we hope that the present crisis does not extend into the fall, we must be prepared in the case that it does. In light of this, the state must take a number of steps to make sure that our electoral system may function in a safe, secure, accessible, and inclusive manner. This includes implementing no-excuse absentee voting, expanding early voting, passing election day registration, and ensuring that each polling site is constantly cleaned. “Now more than ever, the people of Massachusetts deserve to have their voices heard. We at MassVOTE are here to make sure that they do.”

At MassVOTE, we are above all committed to the common good. Typically, this centers on promoting voting rights and voter engagement. To achieve these ends, we maximize our public presence, taking steps that include holding voter registration drives, organizing grassroots events, and speaking at large-scale gatherings. Yet the rapid emergence of and public health threats posed by COVID-19 mean that MassVOTE must be prepared to revise its strategy if and when it becomes necessary for us to do so.​ This is a key year, 2020, for MassVOTE and we have not lost sight of that. Passing Election Day Registration (EDR) remains one of our top priorities, as does getting out the count for the 2020 Census. Around these, we will continue to deliberate with legislators, organize grassroots-based support, and ensure that underrepresented communities have their voices heard.​Yet how we fulfill these tasks may change. Instead of holding in-person meetings with legislators and their staffs, for example, we may simply speak with them on the phone. As opposed to promoting and speaking at large-scale public gatherings, we may encourage that such meetings take place online. While these circumstances are far from ideal, they are unquestionably necessary. The health and well-being of the people of Massachusetts – as well as the country and the world – always come first. Limiting person-to-person contact is just one way that we can all promote this health and well-being.Nevertheless, though we may change how we work, MassVOTE’s voice will remain as loud as it always has. The work remains as important as ever. Sincerely, Cheryl Clyburn Crawford Executive Director, MassVOTE ​MassVOTE's offices are currently closed and will re-open at a date yet to be determined. We can be reached for all your needs at info@massvote.org Emergency Resources: Free Internet, Meals for Youth and Children