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Advocates Seek Voting Rights for Surviving Spouses on Local Retirement Boards
Summary
Mass Retirees asked the Joint Committee on Public Service to allow surviving spouses who receive spousal benefits to vote in local retirement board elections, describing the change as an equity measure that would not allow candidacy for elected seats.
Mass Retirees representatives asked the Joint Committee on Public Service to support legislation that would permit surviving spouses who receive spousal benefits from local retirement systems to vote in retirement board elections.
Sean Duhamel, chief executive officer of Mass Retirees, testified in favor of House 2854, saying surviving spouses often receive “the lion’s share” of retirement income from public systems but currently lack a vote in board elections. Duhamel framed the proposal as a “simple matter of equity” that would not let survivors run for the elected seats but would give them a voice in who represents them on local boards.
Duhamel recounted that retirees themselves were excluded from such votes until reforms in the early 1970s and argued that the change would correct a current anomaly. Committee members asked about mechanics and whether broader changes, such as aligning the state definition of veteran with federal definitions, might be simpler solutions for related items; Duhamel said the organization would need to study any such alternative before endorsing it.
No committee vote or formal action on the bill was recorded at the hearing. Proponents asked the committee to report the bill favorably so that surviving spouses gain a formal avenue for representation on local retirement boards.
