The 2018 Democratic, Republican and Libertarian primaries will be held one week from today — Tuesday Sept. 4. (Sample ballots can be found here).
If you’d like to make a pitch for — or against — any candidate (s), use the comments section here.
Primary elections are one week from today. Make your pitch here.
by Greg Reibman | Aug 28, 2018 | Elections | 8 comments
I am not overwhelmed by Galvin’s performance in office but it seems preposterous that Zakim seeks to hold the office in charge of elections when he failed to vote in 16 elections in the last 16 years.
Bill Galvin has been an outstanding Secretary of State. He has a stellar record as Chair of the Massachusetts Historic Commission. He is nationally recognized as the best state regulator of the financial industry and has returned millions of dollars to victims of financial fraud. He has developed an innovative program to protect victims of domestic violence. He has protected our election system from Russian and other hackers. He clearly deserves re-election next Tuesday.
Donna Patalano for Middlesex DA. From the Globe:
“In Middlesex, the Globe endorses Ryan’s challenger, Donna Patalano , based on her impressive vision and breadth of experience. Once a prosecutor, she developed a deeper understanding for the criminal justice system, she says, when she became a defense attorney and worked on behalf of “people who don’t look like me.”
Patalano puts a heavy emphasis on data-driven leadership and transparency. And she’s made a strong commitment to building a more diverse prosecutor corps, promising to release demographic data on who gets job interviews with her office. She’s also pledged to address a worrisome pattern of turnover in the Middlesex district attorney’s office, creating the stability she’ll need to push through reform.
Together, progressive district attorneys in Middlesex and Suffolk counties could go a long way toward rethinking the role of prosecutor, setting new metrics for success, and putting Massachusetts where it belongs — on the cutting edge of criminal justice reform.”
I’m really excited to support Josh Zakim for Secretary of State. Massachusetts needs a bold, proactive Secretary of State who will focus on making our elections more accessible and inclusive. Josh has dedicated himself to this cause for years as a Boston City Councilor, sponsoring a policy that makes it easier for Bostonians to register to vote when they interact with their municipal government. He’ll prioritize enacting Election Day registration, no-excuse absentee balloting, and early and weekend voting opportunities. Reducing barriers to voting could improve turnout and increase civic engagement, especially among my generation (I’m a recent Newton South graduate).
Although Galvin has recently indicated support for many of these reforms, his record unfortunately suggests otherwise. He has continually blocked efforts for weekend voting and same day registration, which the National Conference of State Legislatures finds increases turnout by 3% to 7%. Galvin has now picked the day after Labor Day as the Election Day, only making it harder for everyone to get to the polls. The League of Women Voters suggested using September 13 or September 20 to increase turnout. Under Galvin’s leadership, Massachusetts has fallen behind other progressive states in reducing barriers to voting.
I’m also very excited about Josh’s election security platform. Maintaining paper ballots, he would create a 24/7 Cybersecurity Operations Center within the Election’s Division of the Secretary of State Office, institute a data redundancy policy to protect voter rolls, and use regular penetration testing to identify areas of weakness. He would require municipal governments to purchase voting machine software from a list of approved contractors to ensure machines’ security.
Unfortunately, Galvin has only used 45% of Massachusetts’ allocated Help America Vote Act Sec. 251 funding, essentially free federal money for state election security. Galvin has also been slow to institute reforms in the wake of 2016 hacking attempts nationwide. Massachusetts may not have been hacked in 2016, but that wasn’t because of Galvin’s leadership — it was despite his inaction.
@Peter – I don’t think it’s fair to disqualify someone for office by their college voting record 15 years ago. I’m not voting for 2004 Josh Zakim; I’m voting for 2018 Josh Zakim. Josh’s impressive progressive record as a Boston City Councilor as enough evidence that he’s very civically engaged now :)
Sources:
https://lwvma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Letter-to-Michelle-Tassinari-re-Primary.pdf
https://lwvma.org/lwvma-responds-to-announcement-of-september-primary-date-by-secretary-galvin/
https://www.joshzakim.com/modernizing-election-security-in-massachusetts
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/what-has-galvin-been-doing-on-election-security/
https://www.eac.gov/documents/2017/08/16/fy-2016-hava-grant-expenditure-report-payments-state-expenditures-report/
I second the vote for Josh Zakim for Secretary of State. It is time for a change in this office.
I respect Secretary Galvin’s years of service. I also respect the opinion of Bob and Brian above. I know Secretary Galvin has many long term supporters who respect and view him as an honorable public servant.
I’m not here to argue with that. It is possible that more than one person can be qualified for a job. But here is why I think a change is required.
Certain positions benefit from occasional change. Michael has laid out far better than I could the improvements that we could make regarding voting and elections. It is time for a proactive approach that works to encourage voting. It is beyond time for some of the improvements our neighboring states have made. There is no excuse for MA lagging far behind other states in election reforms.
I also know a little something about the Massachusetts Historic Commission, run by Secretary Galvin’s office. It is the same pattern with that role. Other states run similar offices in a much more efficient and user-friendly manner. I respect the role they play, but it has become either understaffed or under supervised. MHC plays a vital role preserving our history, and it plays an important role in development, affordable housing, community preservation. But under Secretary Galvin and from personal experience, it is a bureaucratic department that has lost its focus, and it is one of the most frustrating departments in the Commonwealth. I admire the role, but it could be run far better.
We need new blood and a new vision for this important position. I recommend Josh Zakim.
I want to remind Village 14 voters that next Tuesday is Primary Election Day , not Marijuana Referendum day.
Thoughtful voters might want to read the Globe’s August 27 endorsement in the Secretary of State’s race . They endorse Bill Galvin because he has run “an efficient, continually modernizing scandal free operation.” and has kept the state elections process free of interference from Russian and other hackers by keeping our ballots off the internet.
Nick Carter!!!
@Michael Ryter – Zakim failed to vote in multiple elections in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 , 2008, 2009, 2010. How many years did he attend college?
I didn’t say that it disqualifies him but for all his attacks on Galvin it is embarrassing that he seeks to be Secretary of State with such an awful voting record. I would be embarrassed for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts if we elected someone who seems like an opportunist.
And I’m sorry, but having a campaign worker make excuses for him only makes it worse.