PETITION OF:

By Ms. Peisch of Wellesley, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 681) of Alice Hanlon Peisch relative to absentee ballots. Election Laws.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

——————

PETITION OF:

——————

In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

——————

An Act relative to absentee ballots. .

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 89 of chapter 54 of the Massachusetts General Laws as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

An application by a voter admitted to a health care facility or confined to a hospice or home health care may be received up until the time the polls close.

SECTION 2. Section 91B of chapter 54(b) of the Massachusetts General Laws as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting after the word “prepaid” in line 5 the word “forthwith”.

SECTION 3. Section 91B of chapter 54(c) of the Massachusetts General Laws as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition is hereby amended by striking out, in line 21, the words “after noon of the fifth day” and inserting in place thereof the following words: -

has been confined to a hospice program as defined in section 57D of chapter one hundred eleven, or has been receiving home health care.

SECTION 4. Section 86 of Chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentence: -

Any voter employed by a city or town in the Commonwealth on the day of, and in the conduct of, any state primary, state election, preliminary city or town election, regular or special, and whose application for an official absent voting ballot has been filed with the city or town clerk as provided in section eighty-nine, and certified under section ninety-one, may vote in accordance with sections eighty-seven to one hundred and three, inclusive.