Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H4033 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4555 FILED ON: 4/9/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4033
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Erika Uyterhoeven and Mike Connolly
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act providing for legal voting rights in municipal elections for non-citizen residents of the
13	13	city of Somerville.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex4/9/2025 1 of 2
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4555 FILED ON: 4/9/2025
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4033
19	19	By Representatives Uyterhoeven of Somerville and Connolly of Cambridge, a petition
20	20	(accompanied by bill, House, No. 4033) of Erika Uyterhoeven (with the approval of the mayor
21	21	and city council) relative to providing for legal voting rights in municipal elections for non-
22	22	citizen residents of the city of Somerville. Election Laws. [Local Approval Received.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act providing for legal voting rights in municipal elections for non-citizen residents of the
29	29	city of Somerville.
30	30	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
31	31	of the same, as follows:
32	32	1 SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1 of chapter 51 of the General
33	33	2Laws or any other general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, any non-citizen
34	34	3residing in the City of Somerville, who is ineligible to vote due to citizenship status under state
35	35	4law, but who is otherwise eligible to vote under state law, may upon application have their names
36	36	5entered on a list of voters established by the board of election commissioners for the city of
37	37	6Somerville and may thereafter vote in any election for local offices and local ballot questions in
38	38	7accordance with this Act. Such non-citizen residents shall remain eligible to vote in in any
39	39	8election for local offices and local ballot questions in the City of Somerville for so long as they
40	40	9remain domiciled in the City of Somerville. For the purposes of this Act, “local voters” are
41	41	10anyone who is eligible to vote pursuant to this act in a local election or upon a local ballot
42	42	11question in the City of Somerville. 2 of 2
43	43	12 SECTION 2. Said board of election commissioners shall establish a separate registration
44	44	13list for local voters who shall fill out an alternative registration form. Said board shall create and
45	45	14print, at the city of Somerville's expense, the special registration form needed for the purpose of
46	46	15registering local voters.
47	47	16 SECTION 3. Said board is hereby authorized to promulgate regulations, guidelines and
48	48	17forms to implement the purpose of this act. The voter registration forms shall include a
49	49	18declaration to be signed under pains and penalties of perjury by the voter applicant that they are a
50	50	19resident of the city of Somerville.
51	51	20 SECTION 4. The City of Somerville is hereby authorized to pass ordinances to
52	52	21implement the purpose of this act subject to all the provisions of the Somerville city charter.
53	53	22 SECTION 5. If a local ballot question appears on a state election ballot, the board shall
54	54	23print a separate ballot for the local ballot question at the expense of the City of Somerville.
55	55	24 SECTION 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to confer upon local voters the right to
56	56	25vote for any state or federal office or any state or federal ballot questions.
57	57	26 SECTION 7. Any local voter who becomes eligible to vote in an election in accordance
58	58	27with the provisions of section 1 of chapter 51 of the General Laws shall be taken off the separate
59	59	28registration list and notified that he or she may register as a regular voter in accordance with state
60	60	29law, regulations, and guidelines.