Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order Monday to activate up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard available this week in the event of unrest surrounding the Nov 3 presidential election
The Republican Governor has already activated the Guard as people protested the deaths of blacks at the hands of police in high-profile incidents in the United States Members of the Guard remained on standby, but did not not needed to respond to the troubles
« There is no indication of a risk to public safety in Massachusetts Just as the administration does for all major events, we have made additional resources available if local leaders so request. » , said Thomas Turco, secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Massachusetts State Police Col Christopher Mason said he was not aware of any specific or credible threats to election sites
The decree comes as state officials attempt to protect the voting process at polling stations across the state An officer is stationed at every polling station in case someone tries to interfere with voters, Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin said on Monday at a press briefing He also noted that state law prohibited anyone from engaging in political activity within 150 feet of the polling location.
Galvin projections over 13 million voters will turn out on election day, likely bringing the state’s total turnout to 36 million By comparison, the record for highest turnout in Massachusetts is 33 million votes, a record in the 2016 election
More than 23 million voters have already voted in person or by mail The state has registered more voters and has seen the number of inactive voters drop, Galvin said
The expanded state postal ballot law came into effect in July in light of the coronavirus pandemic The emergency law is only in place during the 2020 election, but advocates for the voting rights and lawmakers say this election season could set the stage for a permanent postal voting law in the future
Galvin has said he supports an expanded postal voting system and wants to see what happens after November 3 to determine how a permanent law would work, just as officials debrief after other elections
« We will do the same after the election to come up with a proposal, » said Galvin
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Charlie Baker, Massachusetts, Coronavirus, Executive Order
World News – United States – Baker government activates National Guard Mass ahead of Election Day
