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Date: 4/13/2021
AGAWAM – Whether to support voter identification, legal absentee ballots and universal mail-in ballots was the focus of the Agawam Town Council meeting on April 5.
According to Massachusetts law, as of April 2021, 35 states enforced voter identification requirements. A total of 20 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards and military identification cards.
“Eleven percent of 18 and over in this country do not have photo ID, that is 21 million people. Those are low income, racial and ethnic minorities, elderly people, disabled people. If we required photo ID to vote, then we’re denying 21 million people the opportunity to vote. 160 million voted thanks to mail-in vote, the most we have ever seen in any election and a lot of that had to do with being able to send in their vote through the mail,” Counselor Gerald Smith said.
Massachusetts does not require voters to present photo identification but instead by showing proof of your name and residence like a utility bill or rent receipt. The only time voters will be asked to show ID are in the following circumstances: You are voting for the first time in Massachusetts in a federal election; You are an inactive voter; You are casting a provisional or challenged ballot; The poll worker has a reasonable suspicion that leads them to request identification.
The committee had split opinions regarding supporting or opposing mail-in voting.
“The mail-in ballot was supposed to be for a year due to COVID-19. It’s an unfunded mandate which means if we are going to continue we have to find a way to pay for it,” council President Christopher Johnson stated.
“Everyone has a right to vote. Massachusetts has always required identification, not a photo ID because they are considered unconstitutional and considered a poll tax. There’s been other countries using the mail-in ballots for years without any issues. I find it incomprehensible for anyone that doesn’t find that offensive,” Counselor Robert Rossi said.
Rossi also mentioned that according to Massachusetts law section 7, the application for mail in ballots are only sent to registered voters. It is required to be electronically compatible with the application and ballot. If there is any sign of abnormalities with the signature or anything else, then it has to be rejected and the voter would have to come in personally.
Counselor Cecilia Calabrese was opposed to the mail-in ballots because it requires to be handwriting experts.
“I believe that this is voter suppression, there are elderly people who don’t have a license,” Counselor Gina Letellier said.
Mail-in ballots were approved by 157 nonpartisan legislative lawmakers in the state.
More than half of the council voted against the motion to support of voter identification and legal absentee ballots and in opposition to universal mail-in ballots.