Latest news with #UrbanLeagueofEasternMassachusetts
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Black America is in a 'state of emergency,' National Urban League report says
This report comes during a time when many Black Americans have voiced concern about the second Trump administration's policies, including its attack on DEI programs at workplaces, colleges and universities and its decision to scale back police reform measures enacted after the murder of George Floyd. Many have also criticized the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In the report, the National Urban League said the Trump administration poses threats to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in southern states after the Civil War. It said that gerrymandering, as well as bans on mail-in ballots and early voting, increase barriers for marginalized populations to vote. Advertisement 'I'm more than worried. I'm outraged that this nation, at this point in its history, would seek to undermine the most successful civil rights law,' Morial said. Advertisement The report also said that rhetoric from conservative media commentators, like Ben Shapiro Morial said those on the far-right 'weaponized the terminology of diversity, equity and inclusion.' The National Urban League additionally criticized the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle affirmative action following Supreme Court rulings against the Rahsaan Hall, President of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, a local affiliate of the National Urban League, said Trump gives 'voice to ideologies that are racist, nativist, xenophobic, homophobic, and anti-immigrant.' 'Much of what we're seeing is not necessarily new. It's just being amplified in a different way,' Hall said. 'It's now more so than ever for Massachusetts residents to bond together.' Hall anticipates federal policies will have a 'significant impact' on marginalized populations in Massachusetts. Hall said cuts to Medicaid will worsen racial disparities in health, as many communities of color rely on the government program. Hall testified at the Massachusetts Statehouse Tuesday in support of a health equity bill. 'We've just been doubling down on the work that we do. Our efforts have been directed at defending democracy,' Hall said. Hall emphasized that voting holds politicians accountable. In response to the 'state of emergency,' the National Urban League encouraged Americans to prepare for state, local, and mayoral elections across the country. 'It's more important for people to be civically engaged — not just voting on election day, but (doing) all of the things that lead up to being an informed voter,' Hall said. Advertisement To increase outreach among underrepresented voter populations, the National Urban League recommended strategies like automatic voter registration, ranked choice voting, and restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people. The report called Massachusetts a 'site of resistance' for pushing back against the Trump administration, including 'We use this report as a call to action for people to stand up — whether through protests, litigation, political advocacy, community advocacy, selective purchasing,' Morial said. This story was produced by the Globe's team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter . Jessica Ma can be reached at
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Registration reform supporters build case on rejected ballots
BOSTON (SHNS) – Voting reform supporters renewed their campaign Wednesday for Beacon Hill to overhaul how Bay Staters cast ballots, including by authorizing same-day registration, with dire warnings about the prospect of new federal restrictions. Nearly three years after a previous legislative push sputtered in the House, activists who want to allow prospective voters to register and cast a ballot in a single trip to the polls said 'the time is right' for action. Currently, would-be voters lose their eligibility to register and vote in a 10-day window before each election. Organizers of a State House rally used a prop to make their point: they stacked more than 3,300 pieces of paper atop a ballot box and adorned it with a large sign that read 'REJECTED,' representing the number of provisional ballots that were rejected in the 2024 state elections. A few minutes later, they added another 1,600 sheets to account for the 2022 elections as well. Rahsaan Hall, president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, said many of those ballots were tossed for procedural reasons that could have been avoided if Massachusetts allowed same-day registration or embraced other reforms. 'There were 3,300 individuals who could have otherwise been registered to vote who filled out provisional ballots, and those ballots were not counted. That is an opportunity that is lost,' Hall said. The Election Modernization Coalition, which includes the Urban League of Eastern Mass., Common Cause Massachusetts, the ACLU of Massachusetts and the Disability Law Center, spotlighted three bills its members believe could prevent nominally eligible voters from being disenfranchised. One bill (H 799 / S 503) would cease dropping voters from the active list if they fail to respond to a municipal census. Another (H 820 / S 504) would require the secretary of state to inspect polling places every four years to ensure they are accessible to voters with disabilities. The third proposal (H 834 / S 505) would allow potential voters to register in-person on Election Day or early voting days, a shift from the current law that prohibits registration sooner than 10 days before the election. As the two-year session approaches its sixth month, the reform bills await a public hearing before the Election Laws Committee, co-chaired this session by Sen. John Keenan of Quincy and Rep. Dan Hunt of Boston. Fiona Yu, who has worked with the Chinese Progressive Association, told rally attenders about her struggle attempting to vote after moving from Malden to Boston. Through an interpreter, Yu said a poll worker would not allow her to cast a ballot because her ID only had a sticker on the back with her new address, and did not display that address on the front. Even when she displayed a voter registration confirmation letter with her updated address, Yu said, the poll worker only allowed her to submit a provisional ballot. 'As a community organizer, I see every day how confusing and discouraging the voting process can be, especially for immigrants who are not familiar with the system, who have language barriers, and many can give up even when they're eligible,' Yu said through an interpreter. 'If we want to have a truly democratic and fair election system where everyone can participate, we need to find ways to break down these barriers to voting.' Reform supporters also linked their pitch to proposals moving in Washington, D.C. The U.S. House last month approved legislation sometimes referred to as the SAVE Act that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. 'If that passes, it will undo every major reform that this Legislature has accomplished over the last decade,' said Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Geoff Foster. 'It would undo automatic voter registration, it would [un]do online voter registration, and it would [un]do pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds.' In a report published in March, Common Cause Massachusetts said about two-thirds of the 5,106 provisional ballots cast in November's elections were rejected and not counted. More than 99% were tossed 'for administrative reasons that might have been resolved through same-day voter registration,' including a voter moving within the same town and remaining registered at a different precinct, the report said. Foster said nearly three-quarters of rejected provisional ballots occurred in Boston and the state's so-called Gateway Cities. 'The majority of towns are issuing five or less provisional ballots in general elections, so that's not a scale that we think is going to add any workload,' Foster told the News Service. 'In fact, we're hopeful that local election officials will reduce their workload, because instead of issuing provisional ballots that need follow-up researching and evaluation and reporting, instead of doing that, they will simply be able to hand someone a voter registration or connect them to the registration on a computer, and then they come back and they get to cast a ballot.' Twenty-two states and Washington, D.C. allow same-day registration, according to the coalition. Secretary of State William Galvin, the state's top elections official, supports the policy, but other backers have been unsuccessful at convincing legislators to make it law. The Senate backed same-day registration as part of an election reform bill in 2022, but the House instead voted to instruct Galvin to study the policy further, arguing at the time that there were too many unknowns about the staffing and training needed to execute the policy. (The secretary fired back that he felt additional examination to be unnecessary.) Legislative negotiators ultimately scrapped the idea and instead shortened the registration cutoff from 20 days before the election to 10. That negotiation was led by Rep. Michael Moran and Sen. Barry Finegold. A Galvin aide said Wednesday that the secretary still supports same-day registration. Foster said some municipalities have implemented de facto pilots of same-day registration. State law now requires two full weeks of early voting before biennial state general elections, and with the cutoff to register moved to 10 days before election day, that leaves a period of time when prospective voters are still able to register and polling places are open. 'We know that the infrastructure works. We're starting to see it,' Foster said. 'We think this is the time, and generally we think this is the right moment for the Legislature to prioritize voting rights, and we know that we have these barriers and we need to remove them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voting rights activists call for major reform
BOSTON (WWLP) – Voting rights activists have begun their work to make the voting process more accessible for all American citizens ahead of the 2026 state election. The advocates have a three-pronged approach to making voting easier for citizens in the form of one bill that allows same-day voter registration, one that breaks the connection between turning in your municipal census with your voter eligibility, and one that ensures access to private voting for disabled people. In Massachusetts, people who are not on the voter list, have incorrect party enrollment, or who can't prove identification are able to fill out provisional ballots. The advocates contend that these votes are not always counted. 'There were 3,300 individuals who otherwise could have registered to vote who filled out provisional ballots, and those ballots were not counted. That is an opportunity that is lost,' said Rahsaan Hall, the President of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. The bills these advocates are fighting for would drastically reduce the number of provisional ballots handed out on election day, and by extension, reduce uncounted ballots. 'We're leaving way too many voters behind. We're at a time right now that we need to open the doors to democracy. We need to let more people in,' said Geoff Foster, the Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. Criticism of these initiatives includes concern about the increased risk of voter fraud and duplicate voting. Voting advocates say fraud concerns are unrealistic and point to other states that have successfully implemented the policies they are fighting for. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
12-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Kraft HQ coming soon
MOVING IN — Josh Kraft's mayoral campaign will move into its new Nubian Square headquarters on Saturday. The first-time candidate plans to run his operation from an office at 36 Warren Street in Roxbury, his campaign shared first with Playbook. The campaign is leasing the spot for $4,000 a month. 'There couldn't be a more appropriate place for our campaign headquarters to call home. This campaign is about making sure that every voice in Boston is heard and valued,' Kraft said in a statement. The location will give the campaign the ability 'to manage a growing field operation, recruit volunteers and stay in close contact with the community,' he added. Candidates tend to choose a home that reflects their base. Former Mayor Marty Walsh housed his campaign HQ in his home neighborhood of Dorchester in 2013. Wu, who ran on promises of progressive change in 2021, set up shop in Jamaica Plain, one of the city's more left-leaning neighborhoods. Setting up in Nubian Square is just as strategic for Kraft, who bought property in the North End in 2023. The office space puts Kraft in the heart of Boston's Black community, a demographic that Kraft likely needs to win big if he hopes to oust the incumbent mayor. It's also not far from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, where he serves as board chair. Wu, however, has already earned endorsements from some of the city's most prominent Black politicians, including state Reps. Russell Holmes and Chris Worrell, and Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell. And an internal poll (caveats apply) from Wu's campaign conducted shortly after Kraft's campaign launch last month showed her winning 72 percent of Black voters. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. In Kraft-adjacent news, Wu huddled Tuesday night in Charlestown with other local electeds to hear from Boston residents amid negotiations over a community mitigation agreement between the Kraft Group and the city over the soccer stadium proposal. Residents ran through an array of concerns and requests: more trees in the neighborhood, anger over the sorry state of the Revs and a chorus of calls to 'fix Sullivan Square,' a notoriously hairy traffic zone. The negotiations, Wu said, 'really haven't kicked off very much in terms of the substantive conversations because there really hasn't been that much to discuss from the project proponents.' The back-and-forth that has happened didn't move the ball forward much. City officials brushed aside an early offer from the Kraft's for $750,000 to be used on athletic fields in Charlestown. There's been two meetings so far between city officials and the team about the stadium, according to Wu. But the negotiators are up against the clock: If they can't come to an agreement on their own by May 1, the discussion moves to mediation. And if it's not sorted out by the end of year, then it heads to arbitration. (Josh Kraft has said he would recuse himself from negotiations if elected in November.) TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey is on GBH's 'Boston Public Radio' at noon. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a ribbon cutting for an affordable housing project at 10 a.m. in Jamaica Plain and speaks at the Condon Community Center Council's Senior St. Patrick's Day Party at 11:30 a.m. in South Boston. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL — 'Mass. Governor signs order promoting union labor for public construction projects,' by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: 'Governor Maura Healey on Tuesday signed an executive order to boost the use of so-called project labor agreements by state agencies for large public works construction projects. The move, which puts the state in line with policies set in a sweeping economic development bill Healey signed into law last year, is a boon to the state's powerful unions; supporters say the change will lower costs to taxpayers. The order Healey signed mirrors language from a section of the law, which would authorize local governments and state agencies to enter into project labor agreements, which often require a project use unionized labor only.' — 'Lawmakers take another stab at getting rid of vaccine religious exemptions,' by Robert Goulston, GBH News: 'Pro-vaccine advocates are trying to build support for a bill that would get rid of religious exemptions for routine childhood vaccine requirements in Massachusetts' schools. Lawmakers held a legislative briefing at the State House on Tuesday about two bills that would remove the non-medical exemption from vaccine requirements as well as improve data collection on immunization rates in Massachusetts.' — 'Secretary of education is also named interim commissioner, raising questions about propriety,' by Auzzy Byrdsell, The Boston Globe: 'The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has tapped Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to fill the job of interim commissioner, but some members have questioned if Monday's 7-2 vote violated the board's regulations. … Governor Maura Healey must still approve Tutwiler's temporary appointment to lead DESE. If Healey approves the appointment, he would fulfill the interim position while upholding his current duties as secretary.' FROM THE HUB — 'Josh Kraft calls on Michelle Wu to cancel Boston's White Stadium lease, Wu's campaign fires back,' by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft is building on his past calls for Mayor Michelle Wu to halt demolition of White Stadium by now pressing Wu to cancel the city's lease with the for-profit group vying to bring a new pro women's soccer team there. Kraft, per his campaign, is urging Wu to cancel the city's 10-year lease with Boston Unity Soccer Partners 'until a use analysis is conducted and made public that focuses solely on the needs of Boston Public Schools students.'' — 'Mayor Wu says Boston has moved too fast on street changes,' by Adam Reilly, GBH News. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS NEW THIS MORNING — Beverly City Councilor Hannah Bowen is out with a new video as she seeks to fill the open seat that former state Rep. Jerry Parisella left for a role as an associate justice of the District Court. 'Public service is my way of giving back,' Bowen says in the video, touting her experience in the Peace Corp. and later as the executive director of a non-profit. The campaign is spending $3,000 to promote the clip on Facebook and CTV. DAY IN COURT — 'SJC rules Massachusetts' nonresident gun laws are legal after post-Bruen changes,' by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: 'The state's highest court has issued a pair of decisions regarding the rights of nonresidents to carry firearms through the Bay State, finding that, while some of the commonwealth's old licensing rules were in fact unconstitutional, changes made to the law in the wake of a major 2022 Supreme Court decisions pass the legal sniff test. The decisions issued Tuesday — Commonwealth v. Dean F. Donnell, Jr. and Commonwealth v. Philip J. Marquis — both deal with charges levied against nonresident gun owners found to be unlawfully in possession of firearms after police responded to a car crash scene in Massachusetts, and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen on the state's relevant gun laws.' FROM THE DELEGATION — 'Is Seth Moulton owed an apology about his statements on transgender athletes in women's sports now that so many publicly agree?,' by James Pindell, The Boston Globe: 'Representative Seth Moulton, of Salem, set off a firestorm last fall among his fellow Democrats over comments he made about transgender athletes competing in female sports. … Suddenly, he has all kinds of company from big name Democratic politicians.' — 'Pressley, McGovern join calls for ICE to release pro-Palestinian activist and U.S. legal resident,' by Amelia Mason, WBUR: 'A group of Democrats is calling on the Trump administration to release Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and legal U.S. resident in New York who is being held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana. Fourteen members of Congress, including Massachusetts Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern, signed a letter released Tuesday in support of the 30-year-old Palestinian Columbia University graduate. Their rebuke accused President Trump of deploying an 'authoritarian playbook.'' — 'WATCH: 'Have you no decency?': Mass. Rep. Keating rips Republican for misgendering colleague,' by John L. Micek, MassLive. FROM THE 413 — 'Northampton council to discuss censure of member Rothenberg for behavior during dispatch call,' by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'The City Council will convene a special meeting Wednesday to consider a resolution to censure Ward 3 Councilor Quaverly Rothenberg for alleged 'egregious conduct' during a phone call she made to a city dispatch line on Feb. 18 in the wake of a severe snow and ice storm. The resolution states that Rothenberg called a non-emergency dispatch line and spoke with two dispatchers in a way that violated the city charter, potentially violated Massachusetts rules and laws governing the 'ethical conduct of public officials, harassed city employees and generally behaved in a manner unbecoming to a city councilor.'' — 'Three more Stearns Elementary School paraprofessionals placed on leave amid allegations of isolating students in bathrooms,' by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle. THE LOCAL ANGLE — 'Controversial Bridgewater 'DEI' resolution killed. Is it over? What both sides said,' by Hailey Clevenger, The Brockton Enterprise: 'After weeks of division between councilors, a controversial Bridgewater resolution slammed as DEI 'subterfuge' has been killed. Every town council member voted to kill the resolution at the town council meeting on Tuesday, March 4. The resolution has sparked a petition on with over 600 signatures against it. But, Councilor Fred Chase, who introduced the resolution with Vice President Paul Murphy and Councilor Sonya Striggles, said 'another resolution will arise' again.' — 'Acushnet Avenue businesses feeling the immigration pinch,' by Arthur Hirsch, The New Bedford Light: ' — 'Amesbury community speaks out against proposed school budget cuts,' by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News. — 'About 200 at New Bedford rally to protest healthcare cuts, Trump and Musk policies,' Frank Mulligan, The Standard-Times. WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING — 'Michael Dukakis, a political lion in winter, reflects on his life and service,' by Brian MacQuarrie, The Boston Globe. — 'Local Gannett-owned websites are using AI to help write articles,' by Sarah Betancourt and Lisa Wardle, GBH News: 'Several Boston-area news publications are using artificial intelligence to generate articles for their websites, according to a human-written story by editor Dan O'Brien of MetroWest Daily News. In the story, O'Brien mentions MetroWest Daily News, Milford Daily News and Wicked Local — all owned by the media company Gannett, which publishes USA TODAY and hundreds of newspapers. are using an artificial intelligence tool called Espresso that is 'designed to draft polished articles from community announcements.'' MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ON SECOND THOUGHT — Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu actually has not 'completely' ruled out a run for Senate in 2026. People have 'asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,' he told The Washington Times. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — on Capitol Hill: former Sen. Scott Brown. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former Massachusetts governor and former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, Chase Delano, Michael Gallant, Colleen Aber Tlagae and Andrew Carden. Happy belated to Haley Jones, finance director for the MassGOP, who celebrated Tuesday.
