"A permanent system where unsupervised voting is the norm." Universal mail-in voting should not become permanent Nov. 20, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Evan Lips, communications director 617-523-5005 ext. 245 WOBURN -- Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s push to make universal absentee ballot mail-in voting a permanent fixture in Massachusetts elections and primaries would cripple the public’s trust in the system, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons said Friday. “A permanent system where unsupervised voting is the norm, held in settings that are unsecure, is no way to ensure electoral integrity,” Lyons said. “We hold election day and primary day for a reason, and we vote in person for a reason, and it all has to do with ensuring that the public has no doubts as to the integrity of the results.” Lyons made his comments a day after Galvin called a press conference to slam several Republican candidates for suggesting that Massachusetts drop its experiment with coronavirus pandemic-related universal absentee voting. Galvin dismissed their concerns as “coming from losing candidates.” Summer Schmaling, a Republican House candidate from Halifax who came up short in her bid to oust a Democratic incumbent, cautioned Thursday that it would be “discouraging for future candidates to have any questions surrounding the integrity of the election.” Republican Congressional candidates Helen Brady and John Paul Moran both noted that election conditions, prompted by measures taken to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, changed dramatically in 2020. Moran stressed that maintaining these changes even after the current health threat is defeated would be “inviting chaos,” and added that “the responsibility should be with Secretary Galvin to prove that fraud did not and will not happen.” Brady recalled how she and other candidates had to take Galvin to court just to qualify for the 2020 ballot. “The way he disrespected us during his press conference yesterday and tried to keep me off the ballot doesn’t instill much trust from Republicans,” Brady said. “Why would I ever trust him with my vote? The onus has to be on him to prove that a mail-in system is 100 percent foolproof. “He can call us whatever he wants to, but it’s not up to us to prove anything.” Link to press release Paid for by the Massachusetts Republican Party Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee Massachusetts Republican Party | 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 5650, Woburn, MA 01801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!