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Category Archives: Elections & Voting

SJC Ponders: Can Ballot Papers Be Signed? Sealed? Delivered?…

UPDATED 4/17/20 4:30PM: On Friday, the SJC accepted the  Secretary’s recommendation, slashing the needed signatures by half, extending the deadline for state candidates by one week to May 5 and allowing electronic signatures, albeit a little more broadly than the the Secretary recommended. The Massachusetts

Briefings: The Fattman Sings, but What’s His Tune on Signatures?…

UPDATED 4/16/20 8:53PM: The Senate passed the bill Thursday. Last week the Massachusetts Senate unveiled plans to cut the number of signatures needed for some candidates to get onto the ballot. The proposal, released by Senate President Karen Spilka’s office, would halve the number of

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: Electoral Dysfunction, Not Normal in Any Age…

SPRINGFIELD—A proposed effort to bolster voter turnout here, if not cure its anemic state, cleared the City Council Monday night. The victory was short-lived. Mayor Domenic Sarno quickly vetoed the measure, offering a garbled explanation. However, it would not be his nonsensical valley this week.

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: Making a City (More) Fully Elect…

SPRINGFIELD—Past, present and future orbited around two major items at the City Council’s Monday meeting. The body passed first step on an ordinance to step up election education notifications. It also reallocated $1.5 million from bonds to finance upgrades to Symphony Hall, nee the Municipal

The Primary Numbers: A New Secretary of State of Mind…

To some, the race for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of the Commonwealth could be the most hotly contested statewide race on the primary. Certainly, this blog thinks so. It pits the current Secretary, William Galvin, who has served since 1995, against Josh Zakim, a

Lederman

Edge of 2017: The Wide-angle View of Valley Election Day…

Edge of 2017 is a series analyzing the results and aftermath of the 2017 elections in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. SPRINGFIELD—Though just a blip against a national political earthquakes in New Jersey and Virginia, Election Day in the Pioneer Valley did mark both transition

Afterglow 2015: At-large and Still In Charge in Western Mass…

WESTFIELD—Election Day across the Pioneer Valley had its share of surprises and disappointment. Yet, despite some cursory similarities among six Hampden County cities that held elections, very little wisdom can be confidently drawn from this local cycle with one exception. While the Whip City featured spirited