Democrats intent on using pandemic to permanently change elections
Feb. 10, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Evan Lips, communications director
617-523-5005 ext. 245
WOBURN -- Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons on Wednesday blasted legislation filed by Democrats that seeks to make universal mail-in voting a permanent fixture in Massachusetts, a system he pointed out that “half the country doesn’t trust.”
Proposals outline in the legislation are backed by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, among other Democrats.
“Just this past year we saw thousands of ballots mailed to residents who had long since changed addresses, and meanwhile Secretary Galvin has so far refused to even acknowledge a request made by Republicans to hold a review of the last election’s strengths and weaknesses, and instead he and the rest of the Democrats want to make mail-in voting permanent,” Lyons added.
Lyons pointed to concerns voiced by several town clerks regarding the lack of signature verification systems and referenced photos that surfaced ahead of the 2020 election of reams of ballots sitting unattended outside several Massachusetts town halls.
“Voters deserve a free, fair, and secure election process,” Lyons said. “When half the country doesn’t trust that process, Democrats should find out why before trying to make it permanent.”
He also singled out language in the VOTES Act stipulating ballot signature comparison inspections “except if a family member signed the application… or if the voter received assistance in signing the application or the envelope.”
“That line about ‘voter assistance’ is classic Democrat Party-speak for ballot harvesting,” Lyons said, referencing the controversial practice of allowing third parties to collect and deliver ballots. “Voters need to feel assured that their vote counts, and proposals like these only serve to sow more doubt and division.”
