Bill > H836

This bill aims to protect the voting rights of eligible incarcerated people in Massachusetts. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Requiring superintendents of state or county correctional facilities to provide the Secretary of the Commonwealth with monthly lists of individuals who have become ineligible or eligible to vote due to incarceration or release, including their personal information. 2. Mandating correctional facilities to publish policies and procedures for facilitating voting and voter registration for eligible incarcerated individuals, including distributing voter education materials, providing assistance with registration and mail ballot applications, and ensuring timely receipt and return of mail ballots. 3. Requiring the Secretary of the Commonwealth to create and distribute voter information and guidance on the rights and application process for eligible incarcerated voters to election officials. 4. Directing correctional facilities to notify prisoners about the restoration of their voting rights upon discharge, and to assist them with voter registration before release. 5. Allowing incarcerated individuals who are not disenfranchised by a felony conviction to maintain their residential address for voting purposes while incarcerated. 6. Requiring election officials to post measures to facilitate voting for eligible incarcerated individuals and make related data publicly available. 7. Mandating the Secretary of the Commonwealth to provide early voting sites at county jails with populations over 800,000 to serve incarcerated voters.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H836