Voter Protection: Be Involved
Make sure your vote counts!
Secretary of State
State House, Rm 337 24 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02133-1099 • (617) 727-9180
MASSACHUSETTS VOTING MACHINES ARE OUTDATED AND NO LONGER SOLD
Out-of-date machines are vulnerable to security risks and software bugs
Massachusetts counties are using Accuvote, AutoMark, Optech Eagle and most recently, ImageCast and DS200. Accuvote, AutoMark and Optech Eagle are over 15 years old, no longer manufactured and still in use in every county of MA. These aging voting systems lack important security features and are less reliable than voting equipment available today.
- www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/#year/2020/state/25
- www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepra/bids-contracts/2018-2019%20SOC%20Ballot%20Contract%20RFR%20FINAL.pdf
MASSACHUSETTS VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS EASILY ACCESIBLE
Voter’s status, party affiliation and residence address open to public
The State of Massachusetts provides a voter status lookup. This application requires voter’s name, last name, date of birth and residence zip code to access it. Any person with such information could then access a voter’s status, residence address and party affiliation.
MAIL-IN VOTING FORCES COURT ORDER TO CONTINUE COUNTING BALLOTS
Two days after the primaries three communities have to restart counting ballots
The Fourth Congressional District race was too close to call, forcing Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin to get a judges' approval to authorize election officials to continue counting primary ballots. Jesse Mermell, a candidate for the district, believes that there were still uncounted ballots in communities across the district. Election officials blamed the inability to finish counting the votes on the number of mail-in ballots and the last-minute arrival of ballots.
Massachusetts Constitutional Preamble
The end of the institution, maintenance, and administration of government, is to secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquillity their natural rights, and the blessings of life: and whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government, and to take measures necessary for their safety, prosperity and happiness.
The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good. It is the duty of the people, therefore, in framing a constitution of government, to provide for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation, and a faithful execution of them; that every man may, at all times, find his security in them.
We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
