Under the new provision, residents will be automatically registered to vote when they make a transaction at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or MassHealth, the state Medicaid program. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 ― “just in time for the next presidential primaries,” the state’s election chief said ― and early estimates say up to 680,000 people could be added to the rolls in the next five years, according to MassLive. [...]
“Voting should be simple, accessible, and protected, especially in light of national efforts to limit access to the polls,” Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “With automatic voter registration, Beacon Hill has acted to engage nearly 700,000 more eligible Massachusetts voters in the democratic process. This is a victory for voters, and for a healthy and vibrant democracy.” [...]
“Not doing this is really a form of voter suppression. To not do this, it doesn’t make sense,” State Sen. Cynthia Creem said in November. She said Thursday she was “so proud” that the bill had been signed into law, sharing her brief note with the #votingisaright.
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