BOSTON – Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, today released the following statement in response to the Suffolk Superior Court’s ruling in Chelsea Collaborative v. Gavin, a lawsuit challenging Massachusetts’ voter registration cutoff law:

Voting is the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. Today is a major victory for democracy in Massachusetts, as the court agreed that the arbitrary 20-day voter registration cutoff law is unconstitutional and disenfranchises thousands of potential voters throughout the Commonwealth every election. As the Trump administration is seeking to limit access to the ballot, Massachusetts should lead nationwide efforts to ensure that everyone has a right to vote. As champions for freedom, the ACLU of Massachusetts is committed to working together with other advocates and the Massachusetts Legislature to protect and expand access to the ballot.

Alora Thomas-Lundborg, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said:

This decision is historic because it sends a message to other states that they cannot infringe on a constitutional right to vote by forcing voters to register several weeks in advance of an election.

For more information about Chelsea Collaborative v. Galvin, click here.

This ruling is at: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/chelsea-collaborative-v-galvin-decision-and-order