THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled Tuesday that a proposed ballot question allowing for expanded alcohol and beer sales can proceed to the November ballot. Massachusetts state law limits the number of alcohol licenses that are issued for package stores or others who want to sell alcohol for off-premises consumption. Under current law, no company can […]
Elections
Posted inPolitics
Mass. GOP takes a pounding
THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS in the Massachusetts Senate, which was already down to six lawmakers, will now have just enough members to pop open a card table for a game of bridge. Which they might as well just do, for all the clout they’ll be wielding in the 40-person chamber. Democrats grabbed two Senate seats previously held […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass. GOP takes a pounding
The Republican caucus in the Massachusetts Senate, which was already down to six lawmakers, will now have just enough members to pop open a card table for a game of bridge. Which they might as well just do, for all the clout they’ll be wielding in the 40-person chamber. Democrats grabbed two Senate seats previously […]
Posted inUncategorized
Galvin lays out plan for mail-in voting by request
SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH William Galvin on Wednesday released his proposal for expanding early and mail-in voting for the fall elections, even as influential lawmakers released a competing – and different – plan. While no one knows what the coronavirus outbreak will look like by fall, it is likely that the virus will be present […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: 22 mayors back vote-by-mail
TWENTY-TWO MASSACHUSETTS MAYORS signed onto a letter urging lawmakers to adopt some form of vote-by-mail system for the fall elections. “Our constituents deserve the opportunity to exercise their right to vote without risk of exposure to a deadly virus,” the mayors wrote to House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka. Secretary of the […]
Posted inPolitics
Galvin backs early voting by mail for fall elections
THE STATE’S TOP ELECTIONS OFFICIAL is backing expanded voting by mail for this year’s elections, due to the uncertainty around the coronavirus’s trajectory. But what that process could look like is up in the air, with multiple legislative proposals, some of which Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin says are unworkable. “The problem with the […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC halves candidate signature requirements
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Friday ordered the state to halve the signature requirements for all candidates running for office in the September 1, 2020, primary in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The court also gave candidates for district and county office an extra week to turn in their signatures and ordered Secretary of the […]
Posted inPolitics
The vote must go on
ELECTED OFFICIALS MAY be mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, but the horse race always continues in an emergency, one way or the other. Stephanie Murray at Politico reported on newly-released campaign finance reports from the beginning of the year through March 31, and says Rep. Joe Kennedy III holds a financial advantage over Sen. Ed Markey […]
Posted inThe Download
The vote must go on
Elected officials may be mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, but the horse race always continues in an emergency, one way or the other. Stephanie Murray at Politico reported on newly-released campaign finance reports from the beginning of the year through March 31, and says Rep. Joe Kennedy III holds a financial advantage over Sen. Ed […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Baker traces origins of crisis
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday traced in broad terms the origins of the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts and suggested the state’s recovery will be a long, slow process. With the state entering a period when COVID-19 hospitalizations are expected to surge, Baker said he had no inside knowledge on what exactly will happen over the […]