On July 31, the Massachusetts General Court adjourned its formal legislative session after passing one election-related bill, which Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed into law.
H5555, the state budget bill, allows the secretary of state to award grants for voter registration and education. Those grants may be awarded to community-based voter registration and education organizations. In addition, the bill requires the secretary of state to prepare a report for legislative committees on the total costs incurred in 2022, 2024, and 2026 to issue mail voting postcards, send mail ballots to local election officials for distribution, and use a second envelope for mail ballots.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H5555 142-6 on July 1, with 125 Democrats and 17 Republicans voting in favor and six Republicans voting against. Later that day, the Massachusetts Senate approved the bill 39-1, with 35 Democrats and four Republicans voting in favor and one Republican voting against. Healey signed the bill on July 9.
