Setting the record straight on my opponent's unfounded accusations

Aug 13, 2020

 I am writing to set the record straight about the accusations that have been circulated by my opponent’s relatives and campaign staff, and to correct what seems to be rapidly spreading misinformation about moving and your right to vote. 

My story will sound familiar to anyone who’s rented in Somerville, Cambridge, or Boston. I had to move twice in 2019: once because my rent was no longer affordable, and again a second time because my landlord did not fix a serious mold infestation, which made me very ill. I had to find a new place on short notice, and was lucky enough to find a home to buy in Somerville, the city I’ve always wanted to live in.

Moving is always a lot of work, and in the midst of having to move twice, I didn’t update my voter registration by the deadline. In Massachusetts the deadline to register to vote in any election is 20 days prior to the date of the election. This blackout period is a form of voter suppression that could easily be solved with same-day voter registration, a solution I have advocated for in my role as co-founder of Act on Mass. 

On election day last year, I went to the polling location where I was last registered to vote, disclosed that I had since moved to Somerville, and upon the advice of poll workers there, filled out a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there are outstanding questions about a voter's eligibility. It’s a way to ensure people can exercise their right to vote. I filled out this ballot and wrote in my Somerville address. Cambridge Elections, quite rightly, didn’t count my vote because, as I had freely disclosed, I lived in Somerville.

Beyond this, you may also be familiar that my opponent’s campaign has challenged my right to be listed on the ballot for this Democratic primary. The State Ballot Commission overruled the complaint brought by my opponent’s campaign manager, concluding that “there was no evidence presented” regarding the allegation. That is to say, when they had their day in court they did not present any evidence that I had voted illegally or that I did not fulfill residency requirements to run for office. (For anyone interested in reading the Commission’s whole decision, email me, and I’d be happy to send it to you.) 

These accusations were made by members of my opponent’s campaign or her family, including her aunt, Diane Masters.

The accusations of my “voting illegally,” "misleading voting officials," or “committing voter fraud” are not only wrong, but are dangerous narratives especially in Somerville where there are still real barriers to voting that look like mine.

Your participation in the democratic process is not only valued, but a right, and moving on the biggest move-in day of the year, September 1st, does not take either of those things away. It has been deeply disappointing to hear my opponent insinuate the opposite.

To me, what this story shows more than anything else is what we already know: Massachusetts’ 20-day voter registration cutoff is arbitrary and unnecessary, and it disenfranchised countless voters each election. It’s just one more reason why I’m running for office: to continue the fight to make our democracy as robust as possible and to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard and valued.

Erika