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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 918 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 518 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Jason M. Lewis, (BY REQUEST) |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act for political party endorsement reform. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Vincent Dixon60 Lake St Apt N Winchester MA 01890 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 918 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 518 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Lewis (by request), a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 518) of Vincent Dixon, |
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| 19 | 19 | | for legislation for political party endorsement reform. Election Laws. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 424 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act for political party endorsement reform. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 The Massachusetts General Laws are hereby amended by inserting the following new |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2chapter: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 Chapter 57A. Political Party Endorsement |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4 Section 1. An Act to permit certain political party organizational reforms, by allowing a |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5cross-endorsement process, by which more than one political party, may endorse the same |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6candidate, and all votes cast for that candidate, may be totaled for that particular individual. |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7 Section 2. Over many years, significant numbers of individuals have desired a greater |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8range of choices for electing public officials, during election periods. This legislation seeks to |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9recognize that an additional choice would be provided, by permitting coalitions of different |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10political designations, and parties, to support, and/or not support, various candidates. 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11 Section 3. Present Massachusetts law requires independent, individual candidates by each |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12political party, and/or independent persons. Votes presently, cannot be counted for a single |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13individual, summed in total. In so doing, political choices are limited to certain definitions, that |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14limit the ability of coalitions to form, that would improve voter choices. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15 Section 4. Other states have similar provisions, and have apparently found them to be |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16useful, and appropriate. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17 Section 5. The Massachusetts Secretary of State, and its Elections Division, being the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18relevant regulator, and supervisor of elections in Massachusetts, is hereby empowered to |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19establish appropriate regulations, by which all recognized political parties, may cross-endorse |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20candidates of other parties, by their particular legal political process. |
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