Date: 3/31/2021
John Adams, of Braintree, Massachusetts, was the principal author of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our State Constitution went into effect almost 241 years ago (October 25, 1780), and served as a model upon which the Constitution of the United States was fashioned years later.
The Massachusetts Constitution remains as the oldest written, functioning constitution effective in the world today. An integral part of the Massachusetts Constitution defines how we determine our elected officials: by majority vote of we, the people. There is a move to dilute the voting rights of Massachusetts citizens through the efforts to institute universal mail-in voting, permanently.
Chapter 115 of the Acts of 2020 created a narrow modification to the 240-year legacy of our voting system in Massachusetts by permitting all voters to be eligible to vote by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That legislation served its purpose, and now it is time to return to the voting system that served us so well for more than two centuries. In Massachusetts, we vote IN PERSON unless there is illness or other reason why a voter is unable to attend the polls at Election Time.
No other country in the world uses a mail-in voting system without verification of identification of the person purporting to cast a ballot. Universal mail-in ballots create ambiguity in the results when there is no authentication of electors. Congress is debating HB 1/SB 1 that would bring universal mail-in voting on a Nationwide level.
This would irreparably damage our American voting system and place the United States at a distinct global disadvantage compared to European nations that require stringent voter identification in order to cast ballots.
The high cost of universal mail-in voting creates an unfunded mandate to cities and towns. That cost must be absorbed by the taxpayers. Further, photo identification is required for a multitude of other activities without question: in airports, banks, pharmacies, medical offices, liquor and cannabis purchases, hotels, Medicare/Medicaid applications just to name a few. Doesn’t our most sacred duty as a citizen deserve the same respect?
With COVID-19 vaccinations being widely distributed within the commonwealth and based upon recent pandemic data Massachusetts will be able to safely conduct elections in person. The provisions of absentee voting for those not available or physically unable to vote in person will remain intact, just as they have for decades. No one will be denied their voting rights by assuring the integrity of every LEGAL vote.
Voting is not just one of our most important rights, it is our sacred duty. Doesn’t that deserve integrity? We say, YES.
Cecilia P. Calabrese
Mario Tedeschi
Agawam City Councilors
