Public News Service

Student protests against the Israeli war in Gaza rocked college campuses nationwide last school year. More than 3,200 students were arrested. (Adobe Stock) <br /> <br />

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

College students press Israeli divestment campaign as school year begins

As college anti-war protests enter a second school year, students are maintaining pressure on administrators to cut all financial ties with the …

College students are leading the call for a ceasefire in the Israeli war in Gaza. Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the United States has enacted legislation providing at least $12.5 billion in military aid to Israel, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. (Ehn)

MA peace activists call for Israeli arms embargo at DNC

Massachusetts peace activists will join the tens of thousands of protesters expected at this week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago…

Students and faculty at Northeastern University in Boston surround a pro-Palestinian encampment on their school's campus, which stood for two days before administrators called in police to remove it. (Ehn)

Northeastern University students, staff condemn arrests, charges of antisemitism

Students and faculty at Northeastern University are demanding their school issue a public apology for what they say are false charges of antisemitism …

128 of the 351 cities and towns in the state have had a change in their local clerk or chief election official since the 2020 presidential election, according to the Massachusetts Secretary of State. (Adobe Stock) <br />

Turnover in MA election officials as presidential election nears

Heightened scrutiny and harassment are helping fuel an increasing turnover rate of election officials in Massachusetts and beyond, according to a new …

Every registered voter in Massachusetts received an official 2024 Vote by Mail application in January. In addition to the March 5 presidential primaries, voters can also use that application to apply for mail-in ballots for the Sept. 3 state primary and Nov. 5 state election. (Adobe Stock)

MA voters urged to register, complete mail-in ballots ahead of upcoming primary

Voters in Massachusetts are being encouraged to complete their applications for mail-in ballots ahead of next month's presidential primary. The …

Supporters of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution said it is needed to protect future generations from crippling federal debt but opponents countered it could limit lawmakers' ability to cope with economic recessions or respond to national emergencies. (Adobe Stock)

Voting rights groups call constitutional convention efforts a threat to democracy

Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a resolution to convene a Convention of States, a process voting rights groups said could put civil …

The Jan. 6 Committee's final report revealed members of the Oath Keepers and other Trump allies stockpiled weapons near Washington, D.C., as they waited for the former president to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military for domestic law enforcement. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Social media's 'networked incitement' the latest challenge to democracy

The use of social media to organize the Jan. 6 insurrection marked a turning point in American political protest, according to a leading media and …

Studies show the development and dissemination of vaccines have saved millions of lives and played a critical role in historic increases in average life expectancy - from 47 years in 1900 in the U.S. to 76 years in 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Vaccination rates decline as health misinformation spreads online

Public health experts say the rapid spread of health misinformation online is contributing to a dangerous decline in vaccination rates. Surveys …

Uninsured people are more likely to support public health insurance programs, but are less likely to vote than people with health insurance. Studies show this trend has contributed to a lack of Medicaid expansion in states that could benefit from it. (Adobe Stock)

Doctors say voting is critical to improving U.S. health care system

Voting is not only good for democracy - it's also good for your health, according to one of the nation's largest medical associations. The American …

A 2021 poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found 65% of residents support same-day voter registration, compared to 28% who oppose it. (Adobe Stock)

MA groups push same-day voter registration to replace provisional ballots

Voting rights groups in Massachusetts say provisional ballot data from the 2022 statewide election highlight the need for same-day voter registration…

Study finds youth voter turnout higher with mail-in voting

States in which all eligible voters are automatically mailed ballots had significantly higher youth voter turnout rates in 2020, according to a new …

Media experts say to avoid being duped by disinformation, double and even triple check the source of a story, and then try to find this information elsewhere in other reputable places, like mainstream news outlets. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Tech Companies Scale Back Efforts to Control Election Disinformation

Introduced federal legislation aims to counter the growing threat of election disinformation as social media platforms scale back efforts to control i…

When voters sit down and talk to each other about electoral reform, their support for ranked-choice voting increases to nearly 60%, both for state primary and general elections, according to a poll by Stanford University's Deliberative Democracy Lab. (Adobe Stock)

Boston Joins National Ranked-Choice Voting Movement

The push for ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum in cities across the country, including Boston - where organizers say it will help increase …

Legislatures in 14 states have introduced bills this year that would implement ranked-choice voting. New York City had its first election using ranked-choice voting in 2021. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br /><br />

Empower Act in MA Extends Voting Rights, Allows for Ranked Voting

Legislation dubbed the Empower Act in Massachusetts would allow municipalities to lower the voting age and use ranked choice voting for local election…

In a Pew Research Center survey, 57% of Americans cited reducing the budget deficit as a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year. That's up from 45% a year ago. (Adobe Stock)

MA Activists Urge Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling, Resist Spending Cuts

Local activists will rally in Boston Common tomorrow to urge Congress to lift the debt ceiling without cuts to social programs in return. President …

Democratic lawmakers are calling for term limits to ensure each president has the opportunity to appoint the same number of Supreme Court justices each term, in an effort to make the high court more democratically representative. (Adobe Stock)

MA Lawmakers Call for Expansion of U.S. Supreme Court

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress are calling for an expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court due to what they said are "ethical lapses" and "partisan …

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows Massachusetts has four counties in the top 20 list of most expensive places for child care, including Middlesex and Norfolk counties, where families pay more than $26,000 annually in child care expenses. (Adobe Stock)

MA Bill Would Let Candidates Use Campaign Funds for Child Care

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill to allow candidates seeking state or local office to use campaign funds for child care. Child care is …

The U.S. military has released 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the War on Terror began in 2001, despite military leaders citing climate change as a national security threat. (WRL)<br />

War Tax Resisters Redirect Money Towards Peace

Tax Day is quickly approaching April 18 but some Massachusetts residents will resist paying their federal taxes as a war protest. War tax resistance…

Health care advocates fear restrictions on abortion medication could be especially harmful to African American women, who are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (ACLU Mass.)

MA Lawmakers Vow to Protect Abortion Medication Access

Massachusetts lawmakers are vowing to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, after two competing rulings by federal judges has left access …

The VOTES Act also ensures the Commonwealth joins the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a multi-state consortium which aims to keep voter registration rolls up to date, encourage voter registration and prevent voter fraud. (Adobe Stock)

Funds Aim to Support Municipalities With Expanded Mail Voting

Voting rights advocates in Massachusetts are applauding Governor Maura Healey's budgetary backing of new policies stemming from last year's passage of…

Members of the group, Marked By Covid lobby for passage of HD.3821, to formally recognize Covid Remembrance Day. Bereaved community members will gather for a Covid Remembrance Day Interfaith event on Saturday, March 11 at 3:00 pm ET at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence. (Ritz Sullivan)

Efforts Underway to Formalize COVID-19 Remembrance Day in MA

Family members of those lost to Covid are urging lawmakers to pass legislation to formally recognize the first Monday in March as Covid Remembrance Da…

Nearly 60% of Massachusetts' incarcerated population is Black - but Black residents make up less than 20% of the Commonwealth's population, according to the Democracy Behind Bars Coalition. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Bills Aim to Restore Vote for People Incarcerated for Felony Convictions

Lawmakers in the Commonwealth are considering legislation to restore voting rights for people incarcerated on felony convictions. One bill would …

Nearly 24% of households in Massachusetts reported speaking something other than English at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of nearly 22%. (Adobe Stock)

MA Legislation Aims to Improve Language Access for All

Lawmakers and immigrants-rights activists in the Commonwealth are hoping to pass the Language Access and Inclusion Act, which would dramatically …

The final report of the select committee to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol states,

MA Residents Mark Anniversary of Jan. 6 Insurrection

Events to mark the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol take place today across the Commonwealth, including in …

Supporters of Question 4 say granting licenses to drivers without legal status in the United States would reduce unnecessary arrests and reduce the time police spent when an immigrant without status gets pulled over. (Adobe Photo)

MA Advocates Laud Increased Resources for Non-English Speakers

On the heels of the midterm election, and passage of Question 4, which upheld a law allowing immigrants without legal status in the U.S. to receive …

1st Lieutenant Joe Mondello, U.S. Army (Retired), at Fort Sill Artillery and Guided Missile Center in Oklahoma, 1956. President Joe Biden declared July 16 as National Atomic Veterans Day to remember the service and sacrifices of America's atomic veterans. (Photo courtesy Joe Mondello)

Atomic Veterans in Massachusetts Seek Greater Recognition

The majority of atomic veterans who participated in America's nuclear bomb testing program between 1945 and 1962 are now gone, but one from …

In previous years, a typical election saw only about 3% to 5% of Massachusetts voters cast their ballots by mail. In 2020, the number of voters using mail-in ballots jumped to 41.7%. (Adobe Stock)

Make a Plan to Vote: Early Voting in MA Begins Oct. 22

Massachusetts early voting begins Oct. 22, and voting-rights advocates say it is important to have a plan for when, where and how you will cast your …

Voter turnout in 2020 broke records in Massachusetts. (Wayne/Adobe Stock)

MA Supreme Judicial Court Rules In Favor of Early Voting, Vote-By-Mail

Despite an attempt by some members of the Massachusetts GOP to block a new voting bill, good-government groups are raising awareness about the new …

MA Orgs Push for Increased Voter Access, Fight for ‘Fair Share’

As the state's June 7 filing deadline for primary candidates running in federal races approaches, a growing number of Massachusetts organizations …

Sheriffs in Massachusetts are responsible for more than half the state's incarcerated population. (Mark Sardella/Flickr)

MA Campaign: Do You Know Who Your Sheriff Is?

Fewer than one in five Bay State voters can correctly name their local sheriff, according to a recent survey. To fill that knowledge gap, the …

A study from UMass Amherst shows allowing voters to register on Election Day increases turnout for Black and brown voters and first-time voters. (Ajay/Adobe Stock)

MA Groups to Lawmakers: Keep Election-Day Voter Registration in VOTES Act

Massachusetts lawmakers are finalizing the VOTES Act, a bill aimed at increasing access to the ballot box. It includes mail-in voting and extended …

The 2020 census overlooked 0.24% of the U.S. population, compared with 0.01% in 2010. (Antwon McCullen/Adobe Stock)

Report: Census Undercounted BIPOC Communities, Young Children

A new analysis of the 2020 census finds that Latino, Black and Native American populations were statistically significantly undercounted. …

Boston City Councilors Julia Mejia and Tania Fernandes-Anderson have brought forward a proposal for reparations for Black Bostonians. (Wikimedia Commons)

Boston City Council Considers Reparations Commission

A proposal brought to the Boston City Council would create a commission to study the legacy of slavery and the ongoing inequities Black people face in…

In this week's University of Massachusetts poll, 58% of the Americans polled said they support making Election Day a holiday. (Lamar Carter/Adobe Stock)

MA Groups Urge Voting Rights, Democracy Reform

Community groups have held vigils across Massachusetts this week to call for voting and democracy reform on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol …

Brockton, the only majority Black city in Massachusetts, got a new Senate district this cycle. (Floki Photos/Adobe Stock)

MA Group: Transparent Redistricting Leads to Authentic Representation

BROCKTON, Ma. -- New congressional and legislative voting district maps for the next decade of elections have been signed into law, and advocacy …

The legislative committees on redistricting have yet to put out congressional maps. (Christian Pauschert/Adobe Stock)

Groups Hope New Maps Can Bring More Reflective Diversity to MA Politics

FALL RIVER, Ma. -- The redistricting process in Massachusetts is well under way, with the Senate expected to vote soon on new maps for the next …

Representatives from Indigenous groups that worked with acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey to establish Indigenous Peoples Day in the city joined her for the declaration signing. (City of Boston)

Communities Urge Recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day Across MA

BOSTON -- The city of Boston has declared today Indigenous Peoples' Day for the first time, and a bill before the General Assembly would make that …

Uber and Lyft are among the app-based companies that successfully campaigned for a ballot initiative to allow them to classify their workers as independent contractors. (Kaspars Grinvalds/Adobe Stock)

Organized Labor Urges Congress to Pass PRO Act

BOSTON - The AFL-CIO is holding a week of action to urge Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize - or PRO - Act, what some labor …

The 2020 Census revealed more than 7 million people call Massachusetts home, so the Commonwealth will still have nine representatives in Congress after redistricting. (iQoncept/Adobe Stock)

Bill Would Give Public Comment Time for New MA Voting District Maps

BOSTON -- Every ten years, after the Census, local municipalities usually draw new precinct boundaries before state lawmakers draw new voting …

A new Gallup survey shows more than 60% of Americans say they know

Juneteenth Declared National Holiday, Amidst Progress, Upheaval

BOSTON -- Juneteenth National Independence Day is now an official holiday, after President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday, approved by both the US …

The White House is mobilizing city officials, community-based and faith-based partners, businesses, colleges and others to help get as many Americans vaccinated as possible by July 4. (MIA Studio/Adobe Stock)

MA Community Makes Progress on Goal to Vaccinate 70% of Adult Population

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - A Massachusetts community has joined the Mayor's Challenge to help meet the goal of getting 70% of the U.S. adult population …

New census data shows Massachusetts has more than seven million residents, and will keep nine representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives for the next decade. (Siberian Art/Adobe Stock)

Coalition Calls for Citizens, Community Groups' Input on New District Maps

BOSTON -- The first batch of 2020 Census data came out this week, with population counts and an announcement of the number of representatives each …

Massachusetts voters casting ballots in upcoming municipal elections can vote early in person or by mail. (Seventyfour/Adobe Stock)

MA Groups Applaud Vote-By-Mail Extension, Urge Permanence

BOSTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill to extend early voting and vote-by-mail through the first half of this year, and advocates said it's …

In 2019, Massachusetts lawmakers passed a law called the Student Opportunity Act to provide funding to bridge the gap between wealthy and low-income school districts. (AndriiKoval/Adobe Stock)

Teachers Unions: MA Budget for Education Falls Short

BOSTON -- Educators and labor leaders in Massachusetts say the level of funding for education in Gov. Charlie Baker's proposed state budget falls …

Although still present at the Massachusetts State House, city council buildings in some municipalities have opted to remove the state flag, a symbol that many have sought to update for more than 30 years. (Jen Lobo/Adobe Stock)

Commission Launches to Redesign MA Seal, Motto

BOSTON - Native American leaders in Massachusetts are coming together to study and recommend changes to the state's seal, flag and motto. It's part …

The National Popular Vote compact needs states representing 74 more electoral votes to sign on for it to go into effect, and turn the method of electing presidents into a one-person, one-vote system. (Philip/Adobe Stock)

MA Groups: Is It Time to Do Away With Electoral College?

BOSTON -- The Electoral College vote happens today, and some good-government groups and democracy reformers are taking the opportunity to renew their …

Massachusetts voters added five women to the Legislature in November, after another five were elected the previous cycle. (jpellgen/Flickr)

Race, Gender, Party Imbalances Remain in MA State Legislature

BOSTON -- This year's elections didn't change the racial or political imbalances in the Massachusetts state Legislature, and electoral …

MA Supporters Vow to Keep Fighting for Ranked-Choice Voting

BOSTON -- Advocates of ranked-choice voting say they're disappointed but undeterred by their loss at the polls on Tuesday, and vow to fight another …

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MA: Civic Engagement & Voting