Advocacy
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you new to the legislative process? Here are a few frequently asked questions that can get you on the road to being civically engaged!
Voting
Registering to vote is essential for voting in Massachusetts elections!
Click here to check your voter registration status, change/update your address, and register to vote. To be eligible to vote, you must be over the age of 18, a U.S. citizen, and not currently incarcerated for a felony.
Go to your polling station on election day! You can also vote by mail, absentee voting.
Yes! Your vote and your voice matter! When we vote, we collectively decide who will advocate for laws and policies on our behalf.
Representatives
Click here to find out your state representative and senator, and Click here to view election information. This will display ballot information, voting locations, and all representation: local, state, and federal.
It’s important to contact representatives because their job is to represent you! To do that well, it is important for them to know what matters to you. Making a phone call or emailing your representatives goes a long way. This is how representatives know what’s important to you, which means it is also important to them. Every time you email or call, the message is logged and considered when crafting or voting on policies.
Once you identify your representatives, you can contact them through their listed phone number or email on malegislature.gov or show up at their office in the State House. If you reach out, you will be able to speak directly with a representative or a member of their staff.
Legislative Process
The Massachusetts state legislative process is a 2 year process. It is a formal process in our government for ideas to become laws or where elected officials can change existing laws.
A bill is an idea either from a law maker or a citizen like you with the intention of becoming a law. A lawmaker needs to file the bill and seek cosponsors.
Filed by a lawmaker, there is a hearing in front of a legislative committee, committee votes (either favorably or unfavorably). This is where our advocacy works are especially important, telling our stories to gain more support from lawmakers. A bill can be filed in either the House or Senate, but must be voted favorably in BOTH to move on.
The bill must be voted favorably through the House of Representatives AND the senate before it is presented to the Governor. The Governor can either sign the bill into law or veto it. If the Governor vetos, the bill will go back to the House and Senate.
- Reach out to your representatives to ask them to support a bill or issue you believe in
- Reach out to a representative to craft a bill
- Testify at a legislative hearing
- Advocate for a bill by encouraging people to reach out to their representatives