Massachusetts Supreme Court Upholds VOTES Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On July 11, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Senate Bill 2924, also known as the VOTES Act, does not violate the Massachusetts Constitution, leaving the law in place. Signed into law on June 22, the VOTES Act establishes no-excuse mail-in voting, expands early in-person voting and more. This ruling comes from a lawsuit filed in June by the Massachusetts GOP Chair Jim Lyons and a GOP candidate for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Rayla Campbell, against Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin (D).
The plaintiffs claimed the new voting law violated the state constitution, which states that voters may only vote by mail if they are out of town, physically disabled or have religious-based conflicts, and argued that absentee ballots are more susceptible to “fraud” because they fall outside of these categories. The plaintiffs requested that the court prevent the implementation of the VOTES Act. After an expedited process took place before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, the plaintiffs’ request to block the VOTES Act was denied, meaning that the Massachusetts secretary of state will implement the VOTES Act for the upcoming primary and general elections in the state. If you vote in Massachusetts, learn more about how, where and when to vote here.