Massachusetts Adopts Early Voting

On May 22, Gov. Deval Patrick signed House bill 3788 into law, making Massachusetts an early voting state.  MassLive.com reports that beginning in 2016, voters will be able to cast ballots during an early voting period, which will start 11 days before the primary or election and end two days beforehand.   According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Massachusetts joins 33 other states that allow for early voting before Election Day.  The bill contains a number of other elections-related provisions, including a requirement that the secretary of the state create an online portal for voter registration.