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Senator proposes wide elections overhaul to centralize reporting, modernize systems and expand access
Summary
Senator Cindy Rausch urged the Joint Committee on Election Laws to support S.534, the Elections Upgrades Act, and S.528 to expand the Ballot Law Commission’s jurisdiction; municipal clerks and voting‑rights groups testified in favor, highlighting administrative burdens and the need for modernization.
Senator Rausch told the Joint Committee on Election Laws that S.528 and S.534 would address structural problems in Massachusetts elections, including unilateral placement of presidential primary candidates on ballots and outdated municipal election infrastructure.
“Those candidates can be placed unilaterally, individually by the chair of either political party or the secretary of state, and the ballot law commission…has no jurisdiction to hear challenges on those specific placements. That is what S.528 would fix,” Senator Rausch said.
On S.534, which she described as the Elections Upgrades Act, Rausch said the bill would centralize digital reporting of preliminary results, change dates and deadlines that currently strain municipal clerks, require modern technological upgrades (including digital voter lists at polling places), and create a permanent mail‑voter option. The bill would also prohibit the secretary of state’s name, photograph or personal information from appearing in polling places or on printed voting materials except as a candidate listing, and require culturally competent, linguistically diverse voter education in even‑numbered years.
“The proof is in the pudding: we see widespread departure of town and city clerks statewide; we have voter confusion; we have massive wastes of money,” Rausch said.
Tom Joyce, counsel to the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association, and Ben Kaufman, town clerk of Brookline and chair of the MTCA Legislative Committee, told the committee local clerks are prepared to advise on logistical impacts and supported bills that reduce municipal burdens. Kaufman said the MTCA represents clerks from more than 300 communities and offered to provide technical input.
Emma Chinman, coalition manager for Partners in Democracy, also testified in favor of S.534 and related bills, and urged allowing unenrolled voters to serve on boards of registrars, citing that “over 60% of Massachusetts voters are unenrolled.” Chinman said modernizing rules and removing barriers will “restore trust in the basic functions of government.”
Senator Rausch said the Elections Upgrades Act would also address confusing ballot colors used for party primaries, end the second unused envelope for mailed ballots, and change the primary date to allow reasonable planning by municipal clerks and time for recounts. She proposed mandatory ongoing participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) for clerks and centralized digital reporting to reduce costs and errors.
No formal committee vote occurred during the hearing; several municipal organizations and voting‑rights groups indicated they would submit written testimony.
