No one needs to school Bill Galvin in the principles of representative governance and the legislative process.  

As secretary of state, Galvin is not only the Commonwealth’s chief election official; he also oversees the Massachusetts State Archives, a vast trove of documents detailing the state’s history in the birthing of American democracy. And before winning statewide office more than 30 years ago, Galvin served nine terms in the Massachusetts House, where he was known as a master of procedural arcana and political strategizing.  

All of which is to say that Galvin understands as well as anyone the ideal often put forth that lawmaking is best done through the give and take of legislative deliberation and debate. But he also knows better than most the difference between thoughtful deliberation and bill-killing delay tactics.  

That’s why, after years of inaction on Beacon Hill on legislation that would allow same-day voter registration, Galvin filed an initiative petition last week to put the issue on the 2026 statewide ballot so that voters can decide on the question directly.   

Despite countless hearings and discussion on the issue when same-day voter registration bills have been filed over the years, “it hasn’t happened,” Galvin said, summing up the result of those efforts to pass a bill. 

In the most recent attempt, in 2022, when the Legislature was assembling a package of election reforms, including making vote-by-mail permanent, the Senate, which has passed same-day bills several times, included it in its version of the bill, but the House did not. The issue didn’t make it into the final bill that the two chambers agreed on.  

A coalition of groups has been pushing legislation that would have Massachusetts join the 22 states plus Washington, DC, that allow same-day registration. Currently, someone must register to vote in Massachusetts at least 10 days before an election to cast a ballot. 

“Massachusetts has a great opportunity to strengthen our democracy by ensuring that every eligible citizen has a chance to cast a ballot on Election Day,” said Geoff Foster, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, one of the groups leading the Election Modernization Coalition.