January 28, 2022

I joined my colleagues in the House in passing historic and comprehensive voting rights legislation known as the VOTES Act. The bill:

• establishes rules for voting by mail in all future state and presidential elections
• expands early in-person voting opportunities
• reduces the registration blackout period from 20 days prior to an election to 10 days, giving eligible voters more time to register
• directs correctional facilities to assist eligible incarcerated voters in accessing and casting ballots

These voting reforms were deployed during the pandemic to try to keep people safe from the virus, and led to record turnout in the 2020 elections.

Furthermore, the legislation adopted my amendment to expand language accessibility when registering to vote online. I have been fighting for expanded language access for many years and am gratified by its addition to the VOTES Act, which will make voting easier and more accessible for all, regardless of their spoken language at home.

Massachusetts continues to lead the way on voting rights!