elections

Redistricting Olympics

creightt — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:42:03 +0000

Common Cause Massachusetts is hosting a Redistricting Olympics this summer. We will be taking citizen drawn Congressional, State House, and State Senate maps all summer, evaluating them, declaring a winner, giving out prizes and submitting the winning maps to the MA Legislative Redistricting Committee for consideration.

The purpose of the redistricting Olympics is threefold: to educate the public about the steps in the redistricting process, to initiate public participation in the political arena, and to pressure the legislature to draw the districts so that the citizens are appropriately represented.

Help show the legislature that redistricting is about our interests, not theirs. By participating in our redistricting Olympics and learning how to draw your own fair districts, you can acquire the tools you need to expose attempts by public officials to politicize the state’s new legislative maps.

For more information check out and/or email us at .

Participate in our democracy!

Fun election facts

Brett — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:55:00 +0000

Fun fact: you're not allowed to put signs within 150 feet of the entrance to a polling location. The same applies to stickers ("pasters"), petition workers, sign holders, etc. Basically: nothin' except voters, observers, and election workers within 150 feet of the entrance, or inside the building of a polling location. From an admittedly small sampling, nobody seems to be heeding that rule, as at least one polling station I passed was festooned with signage well within that 150 foot zone (Google Earth and its ruler function are your friend.) Voting? You can possess, but not display, any campaign materials. This almost certainly includes stickers, buttons, t-shirts, and so on. Personal notes are A-OK.

Virtually every step of the process must be done in public view, starting with showing the ballot box to be empty and then locking it. The box cannot be removed from public view or opened, except to press down ballots to make room for more. Polls must be open for voting for at least 13 hours, and anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote. Further, the polling station must remain open to allow the public the oppertunity to watch votes be tallied and sealed. If you fudge a ballot, you're allowed 2 more, and the "spoiled" ballots must not be inspected, but must be tracked/tallied, and sealed just like legitimate votes. Lastly, leave the smokes and beer at home, and you gotta fly solo in the booth (no hot democracy-themed fantasies, sorry), save for someone assisting you in marking your ballot (Well! Maybe not? Better make it quick, you two only have 5 minutes if anyone is waiting for a booth.)

State Secretary's summary, relevant chapter of the MGLs.

Problems? Call the Secretary of State: 617-727-2828 or 1-800-462-8683.

Voters should have access to specimen ballots before going to the polls.

theszak — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:55:22 +0000

Data files, computer files for printing ballots are public records and can be requested from the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, email election at sec.state.ma.us

Images of the ballots can be problematical where the content would have to be transcribed letter by letter, key by key or optical scanner.

Specimen ballot by email

theszak — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:33:48 +0000

Specimen ballots are now available and can be requested by email
election at sec.state.ma.us