Lawmakers on Beacon Hill said Thursday they are planning to postpone four special elections due to COVID-19, including a local state Senate election in the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District that had been scheduled for the end of this month.
Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo plan on rescheduling from March 31 four special elections for vacancies in two Senate and two House seats to an unspecified date, according to State House News Service. Spilka also said that the Senate will allow for absentee and mail-in voting in those special Senate elections due to the current state of emergency.
The state Senate election in the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District is currently scheduled to take place in 11 communities across western Massachusetts, including Easthampton, Southampton and Holyoke. The seat turned vacant after former Republican State Sen. Donald Humason took over as mayor of Westfield in January. Local officials, such as Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, had previously called for the election to be postponed.
Both of the candidates seeking to take over this vacant seat, current State Rep. John Velis, D-Westfield, and John Cain, a Southwick business owner running as a Republican, called on Thursday for the election to continue as scheduled. On Friday, Cain reconfirmed his belief, while Velis said “the only thing that matters is the health and well being of the people who live in these 11 cities and towns.”
According to Debra O’Malley, a spokeswoman for Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin’s office, the Senate does not need approval from Gov. Charlie Baker to move a special Senate election. Galvin does not have the authority to postpone or move elections, according to his office. On Friday, O’Malley said the Senate “has the right to move the election” and that Galvin’s office will administer laws as written.
LaChapelle said Friday she was “appreciative of the expedited legislation” that would postpone the area’s special Senate election.
“This act sends a strong message throughout the Commonwealth that our leaders are committed to public safety and unfettered access to the ballot box,” LaChapelle said.
Morse echoed these sentiments Friday.
“I’m relieved to see that the Legislature is taking action on this. At this time, public health and safety must be the paramount concern,” Morse said. “I’m hopeful that the secretary of state and Legislature will find alternative measures for ensuring elections can go forward such as vote-by-mail, but for right now, postponement of the March 31 election is the necessary thing to do.”
LaChapelle said Thursday that continuing with the election would have directly contradicted local, state and federal recommendations to stay at home and social distance to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
She said Thursday that if the Legislature did not act to delay the election, and if Baker did not postpone it through executive order, the city would consider seeking a court injunction to move the election.
“As a mayor I still need to hope and push for every avenue to postpone the election because it’s the best thing for my city,” LaChapelle said Thursday.
Galvin said Thursday that Baker did not have the legal authority to postpone the election through executive order. Galvin also said Thursday he believed the election should continue as planned, saying that postponing it “sets a terrible precedent.”
“Candidly, we’ve seen no evidence that it shouldn’t be conducted,” Galvin said.
Galvin argued Thursday that if the special election did not occur as scheduled, constituents in districts with special elections would be without an elected representative. He pointed to lower reported numbers of COVID-19 in western Massachusetts as part of the reason he believes the elections should go on as scheduled.
“Even if you assume the numbers are higher due to the lag in testing, it’s obvious the ratio in the Pioneer Valley is lower than the rest of the state,” Galvin said.
Galvin said there were ways to mitigate the virus’s spread, such as keeping distance from poll workers, constant cleaning and having voters bring their own pens. He encouraged people to vote absentee, saying those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 could use the law’s disability provision to vote from home.
Before news of lawmakers’ intentions to delay the election, Easthampton City Clerk Barbara LaBombard pointed out that continuing with the election would have put poll workers at risk, as they are generally older citizens and thus more vulnerable to COVID-19. She said she was planning on moving voting booths far apart to help stop the virus’ spread.
“I’ve had my faithful workers say they don’t feel like they can work this,” LaBombard said Thursday.
Velis and Cain have both taken steps in their own campaigns to mitigate the virus’s spread, such as suspending door knocking.
Lawmakers also plan on passing an elections bill that would give municipalities greater flexibility to delay local elections and allow for expanded absentee and mail-in voting options.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.