• The Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the Sept. 1 deadline for local election officials to receive mail-in primary election ballots. The court ruled Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Congressional candidate and City Councilor Becky Grossman had sought a 10-day extension of the period allocated for counting mail-in primary ballots.
• The Globe reports that Christopher Zannetos, a Wellesley tech entrepreneur is suspending his campaign in the Fourth Congressional District’s Democratic primary and endorsing Jesse Mermell, making him the second Democrat to bow out of the race and endorse Mermell.
“While there are some policy areas in which we disagree, she has the integrity and focus needed to help those left behind by our economy — and has proven that she can be counted on to do the hard work required,” he said.
• The Jewish News Syndicate addresses the candidates’ stances on Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) and finds some divisions in the race on this topic – as well as some clarifications.
Much as I support her political platform and hope she runs again in the near-future, Leckey should do the same as Zannetos. Otherwise she’s going to end up handing a victory to Auchincloss.
Hoping that candidates in future elections who choose to withdraw do so before early voting starts. I don’t know how many early votes were cast for Chris, but he has now effectively disenfranchised those people who, ironically, were his strongest supporters and would be most likely to have followed his recommendation for his alternate.
I have to say that Becky Grossman’s effort to ensure no voter is disenfranchised, especially those who are older or have health problems, was a valiant one. Between her positions, positive message and fight for all voters, she has won my vote
This is going to invite a legal clusterf*ck over mailed in ballots that were postmarked today (the state’s recommended mail in deadline) but are delivered “1-2 days late”.
Maybe this nightmare scenario won’t arise in practice, but if the Senate race is “too close to call” and over 50K mailed ballots arrive on September 2nd or 3rd the Electoral results (and possibly even the legitimacy of the declared winner) will be fiercely contested in court. Let alone the 4th congressional district race, with 9 candidates on the ballot.
In a worst case, it may even lead to a disputed runoff election.
@Phil R-
I hope this link works for you.
https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2020/08/26/g12996.pdf
This is the decision by the SJC issued today. The primary ballots, under state law, must be received by 8:00 p.m. on September 1st. Ballots received after September 1st at 8:00 p.m. will not be counted. The statute sets a certain deadline so ballots received after the deadline are – well – too late. The mail in ballots can be sent by mail, dropped off at collection boxes provided by local officials, delivered by hand to election officials or people can vote in person at early voting locations until the 28th.
I really don’t see a legal challenge for ballots received after September 1st because the SJC has already ruled on the issue.
From the Mayor’s email that dropped just now:
“If you have your ballot envelope still sitting on your kitchen table, please open it, check that you have the correct ballot, mark it, seal it in its return envelopes, and return it to Newton City Hall by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Please be advised that the Post Office is taking about a week to get mail back to City Hall.”
A week? Thanks for letting the citizens of Newton know that little fact nugget (checks calendar) six days before the election.
We mailed our ballots today, as we were not sure we were getting by one of the dropboxes over the next week and will be away the week of the primary.
Well, I hope our votes get counted. Sheesh
@Doug. I was calling for Ed Markey this afternoon and we told Markey supporters we reached on the phone to not mail in their ballot as there was no guarantee it would reach it’s city hall destination by September 1st. We told them to vote on the first, do early voting or drop completed ballots in the white drop off boxes in each city or town. We were able to tell them all this information on the phone. They strongly recommend people not mail back ballots.
Well, then- and thanks Bob.
It’s still astounding it should take that long within the city, even in the context of the current White House doing its best to kneecap the USPS (among other agencies), but when you “assume…” (you know the rest). I’ll track my ballot and see what happens.
I still find it horribly unhelpful for this information to be in the Mayor’s email after it would have been of any use.
Both my spouse’s and my ballots were put in the mail to us, I am assuming at Newton city hall, on August 13 and still have not arrived. I am high risk for COVID complications and don’t want to risk voting in person. But also don’t want to give up my right to vote. Will continue waiting for now but am furious about the USPS issues.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: The White mailbox at City Hall is serviced regularly by employees of the City of Newton. No USPS involved. To find it, see here or go to City Hall Circle and look to the south of the main entrance. Google Maps could also help get anyone with a smartphone (mine is a flip phone) to the right place ..
Re. BDS: “[Mermell’s answer] was an error due to misunderstanding a very opaquely worded question”. As my kids would say: LAME-O.
It actually appears like Mermell is trying to have it both ways on this issue to try to appeal to progressives as well as the pro-Israel community. Her flip-flopping, or her lack of doing the homework on these critical issues seems like a problem. Here are relevant pieces from the article referenced above:
“ Progressive Jesse Mermell, a former Brookline select board member, who has emerged in recent weeks as a frontrunner in the crowded field, has come under fire for her conflicting stances on the anti-Israel BDS movement. The Massachusett’s 4th district is home to the largest Jewish population in New England, with several Jewish candidates vying for the open Congressional seat. As such, policies affecting the Jewish community, including Israel, have played an important role in the race.
In a questionnaire produced by the Massachusetts Peace Action, a pro-BDS group, Mermell, who is Jewish, answered “yes” to the question on opposing “anti-BDS” legislation, which has been supported by 32 states and is being considered on the federal level. Mermell also said that she would back legislation by Rep. Betty McCollum, who supports the BDS movement, which accuses Israel of human-rights violations of Palestinian children.
In a statement to JNS, a spokesperson from the Mermell campaign said that her answer to the BDS question “was an error due to misunderstanding a very opaquely worded question. It has since been corrected.”
The spokesperson added that Mermell opposes the BDS movement because “it does not support a two-state solution” and strongly opposes “any anti-Semitic rhetoric” coming from the movement. If elected, she also says she will support House Resolution 246 that opposes the BDS movement.
However, the spokesperson said that Mermell “also firmly believes in individual civil liberties and the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech.”
Critics of the anti-BDS legislation make a similar argument, saying that the law would curtail the First Amendment and free speech.
The Mermell campaign also backtracked on her support for the McCollum bill, saying that her “Jesse’s response reflects her opinion of a previous version of the bill.”
“She has great concern for the issue of children’s rights, including those flagged in this bill, but as the substance of the bill changed over time, she has become increasingly concerned about overreaching language and unintended consequences, including reducing Israel’s ability to defend itself.”
As such, Mermell currently opposes the McCollum bill, said the campaign spokesperson.”
In other words, Mermell has no clear position on BDS, which is the same as saying she supports this anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian movement. I would think this a non-starter for many Jews who have better choices in the MA-4 primary.
Thomas – I think that’s exactly what it says. She’s trying to appease multiple constituencies and her position seems weak or unclear. I would hope our next member of Congress shows more political courage and takes a stronger and clearer position on such important matters. Jesse seems to be trying to have it both ways. I have heard she has told people privately she would be a 5th member of the squad if elected, which means she would likely be more pro-BDS. But she tells pro-Israel organizations that they should stand with her. I don’t like the flip-flopping in real time here.
I am concerned to hear of Mermell’s waffling on two important issues. Thank you for clarifying. I hope others will take this into account before voting!
I am so disappointed in Mermell’s response. I am not supporting her in this primary, but thought I would be OK if she’s the one who is ultimately nominated, but I am not sure about that anymore :(.