A proposal to sever the tie between the annual street list and voter registration status to reduce voting barriers in Massachusetts has the backing of voting rights advocates.

But it met resistance from the office in charge of summoning jurors and raised questions for the Senate’s election laws point person.

“As of 2024, the voter list was at 770,000 inactive voters -- that’s 15% of the registered voters in Massachusetts,” state Rep. Shirley Arriaga, D-8th Hampden, told her colleagues last month. “Removing the link between the municipal census and voter registration ensures that access to the ballot is protected, is strengthened, and everyone in our community has that right [to vote].”

Existing law deems a voter “inactive” if they fail to respond to the annual street list, also often re

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