Thursday, September 8, the Thursday after Labor Day, is the date of the state primary election this year. Given that most people expect to vote on Tuesdays, a great many will miss this chance to exercise their rights. Why the odd schedule–and what would the alternatives be?
Government Reform
children and families, election laws, ethics rules, insider jobs, pensions & benefits, structure and operations, transparency
Should Mass adopt Ranked Choice Voting for State Elections
Maine is conducting a referendum on “ranked choice voting” (RCV, see www.rcvmaine.com), a system similar in at least in spirit to how Cambridge conducts municipal elections. I realize this method of voting can be confusing for voters, but it really is one of the fairest ways to tally votes. It gives more candidates and parties …
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10 Things to Know About the 2016 Elections
The deadline to register to vote for the September primaries is this Friday, August 19th. Primaries will be held on a Thursday, September 8th. The primaries are to nominate party candidates to appear on the ballot in November for county, state and federal races. This is separate from the Presidential primary, which took place in March. (Results: …
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Public Records Reform
The Senate Ways and Means Committee yesterday released the Senate’s Public Records reform bill. It is a big step forward that has pleased advocates for reform. I will be supporting the bill — transparency has been an important theme in my work. One issue that I am interested in feedback on is attorneys fees. I would also really appreciate hearing any personal experiences you have had with this issue generally.
Working Families Get a Raise from Senate-Led Initiatives
We provide this press release from the Senate President’s office highlighting the increases in the minimum wage and the earned income tax credit to take effect on January 1, 2016. Several articles on the minimum wage and the EITC are also provided.
Child Support Reform
Senator Brownsberger, I am writing to encourage your support of legislation that assumes 50/50 child custody and support, regardless of parental gender, in all cases unless abuse or neglect can be proven. This is not a woman’s issue or a man’s issue, this is a parental issue that needs to be addressed immediately to ensure our courts are working in a family’s best interest