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Lisa Dammit, testifying for the Brennan Center for Justice, said the measures would ‘‘provide a check on election equipment’’ and urged audits that ‘‘include every category of ballot — mailed, early voting, election day and UOCAVA’’ to avoid gaps that could leave ‘‘opportunity for undetected errors.’’

The bills would expand the state’s current audit practice in several ways: require audits every two years rather than only during presidential cycles; broaden audits to cover provisional and early ballots; require a statewide audit report be published within 30 days of the election and maintained online for at least six years; and authorize, but not require, municipalities to undertake post‑election audits using standards set by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Deb Chatterjee of Common Cause Massachusetts said the post‑election audit ‘‘is an invaluable piece of our election infrastructure’’ and that the bill ‘‘would expand the audit to include all ballots, including provisional ballots, early voting, and anything else covered by PD‑43’’ and move the statewide reporting timeline ‘‘so the public can see results while election outcomes are still top of mind.’’

Mark Lindeman, policy and strategy director for Verified Voting, described risk‑limiting audits as ‘‘tailored specifically to check outcomes’’ and said they can provide high assurance of the reported winner by sampling ballots and escalating the sample size when discrepancies appear. Lindeman praised the bill’s approach of establishing a stakeholder work group to pilot audit methods and report recommendations by the summer of 2027 rather than immediately mandating one specific technical method.

Nell Forgus, legislative specialist for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, supported the transparency measures, saying ‘‘reliable access to audit records for a reasonable period of time strengthens public confidence in the accuracy of election outcomes.’’ She reiterated that municipal audits would be authorized, not required, and would follow standards set by the Secretary.

During committee questions, Senator Rausch and other members asked whether Massachusetts lags other states and how often audits should run. Panelists said Massachusetts already audits some state contests but limits audits to presidential cycles under current law; the bills would require audits every two years and provide a pathway to consider risk‑limiting audits using a work group and pilots. Committee members asked about costs and operational burdens; witnesses said cost estimates were not specified in testimony and recommended a collaborative process so audits remain feasible for local election officials.

Witnesses described how audits can surface errors without changing election outcomes and noted escalation procedures under risk‑limiting audit protocols that can lead to additional review or a full recount if a discrepancy casts doubt on a reported result. The panel cited examples including a 2020 county hand count in Georgia that revealed an omitted set of ballots and a historical Florida local contest where a programming error affected results.

No formal committee vote occurred during the hearing. Committee staff and the panel signaled that the next steps would include consideration of the bills and the work group process described in the legislation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Election Laws - 7-8-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Joint Committee on Election Laws heard bipartisan testimony supporting S.517 and H.876 aimed at strengthening Massachusetts’ post‑election audit process.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6743510,"Leader Donato urges emergency election authority for Secretary to keep elections running during state emergencies",61,1933000,1994000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5329826-d15c8d50e2c78eeba7be7f2b83f22d9a&start=1933&end=1994","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5329826-d15c8d50e2c78eeba7be7f2b83f22d9a/thumbnail_1933000.jpg","/articles/6743510/Massachusetts/Leader-Donato-urges-emergency-election-authority-for-Secretary-to-keep-elections-running-during-state-emergencies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6743510-77f83aebd1bf38cae04d43c700b9280f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770962396&Signature=MkZs1geGgDnt638xq8aTZJAkapb-dYIQxVwbGEyWdTP~SEhfSZNkL~RRVaS8OfkMiqghXDy27Bpl6KUVFE9amwAW3iWBXpwmhkXbjHdEPHWwbVgBkix7~dl7Xd6sHHgHfYJlFzdhLpw6VvUNB5IcrZTm-52zz6fhaqBxjOtv6gmHFqEmSV0seBmu5f-ovdBcgQbTD-Gk2XHnpZPP2CnyIpjGE9aZ0-~0UvIGAb1iKMH~onVjr5ItrS3Y4hyGpVro-ovbSmlG691LbBlzu78Ubb1-BlL7bygoEiImJz1kF0p8yBF~xogAujQA7tHmIRCX~tVbcM3xivVcbHZr6tlKYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Leader Donato told the Joint Committee on Election Laws that H.832 would give the Secretary of the Commonwealth authority to adopt emergency measures for election administration when the governor declares a state emergency.

Leader Donato said Massachusetts currently lacks a clear statutory process for managing elections during emergencies, forcing officials to seek court intervention in situations such as severe weather or public‑safety events. He cited the response to Hurricane Sandy (2012) as an example where civilian responders were deployed out of state and were unable to receive absentee ballots under the existing framework.

Under H.832, the Secretary would be able to implement emergency contingency measures during a declared state emergency and ‘‘work with municipalities to address severe weather and other emergencies that impact the voters,’’ including options to electronically send absentee ballots to civilian emergency workers when federal accommodations do not apply.

Leader Donato urged the committee to support the bill as a practical tool to ensure that ‘‘we are better prepared to conduct safe, accessible, and secure elections even under extraordinary circumstances.’’ Committee members acknowledged the example and thanked the sponsor; no formal vote or amendment occurred during the hearing.

The hearing record does not include detailed statutory language on limits, checks, or reporting requirements that the Secretary would follow under H.832. Committee members did not request a formal vote at the close of the session; the bill will remain under committee consideration pending any further filings or staff work.","Leader Donato presented H.832 to the Joint Committee on Election Laws, a bill to allow the Secretary of the Commonwealth to adopt emergency measures for election administration during a governor‑declared state emergency. The bill would create statutory authority to implement contingency measures, such as electronically sending absentee ballots to","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears testimony to expand and speed post‑election audits in Massachusetts

Leader Donato urges emergency election authority for Secretary to keep elections running during state emergencies