Yesterday Massachusetts governor Maura Healey signed H. 4885, legislation that bans open and concealed guns at polling places, early voting sites, and vote counting centers to help protect voters, election officials, and election workers from armed intimidation and violence. The law, which goes into effect 90 days after being signed, will be in effect for the November general election.
Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Voting Rights Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and coauthor of Guns and Voting, a report by the Brennan Center and GIFFORDS Law Center, had the following comment:
“Elections in Massachusetts, like the rest of the country, have been peaceful, and Massachusetts voters can and should feel safe throughout the voting process. The ban enacted today provides extra protection. There is no place for guns at the polls or the other places where votes are cast or counted.”
Background
Massachusetts joins Colorado and Vermont in banning all guns at the polls this year. New Mexico banned open carry at polling places. Michigan is considering a similar bill. In total, 15 states plus the District of Columbia now prohibit open and concealed carry at polling sites.
For more information, please see Guns and Voting, published by the Brennan Center for Justice and GIFFORDS Law Center (September 2023).
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