Massachusetts lawmakers weigh bills to expand voting access

 

Early voting in Massachusetts in the 2020 election. File photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing whether to take some of the voting changes adopted at the height of the pandemic, including the broad use of mail-in voting, and make them permanent.

The state took that step and others, including expanding the use of early voting and ballot drop boxes, to help diminish the pandemic health risk of voters crowding polling locations.

Many of those changes proved popular, leading to a push to write them into state law.

Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is among those supporting the changes, including allowing same day registration on Election Day.