<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";
panose-1:3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:Raleway;}
@font-face
{font-family:Roboto;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.contentpasted0
{mso-style-name:contentpasted0;}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Shara, thanks especially for sending out the text of the bill. Like most people, I suspect, we’ve received lots of e-maails urging us to support legislation. Damned few have included the actual text, maybe none.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Al<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>From:</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'> Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Shara Winton via Massachusetts-NFB<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, August 21, 2023 9:07 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'NFB of Massachusetts E-mail List' <massachusetts-nfb@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> sharawinton@gmail.com<br><b>Subject:</b> [Massachusetts-NFB] Democracy Live Zoom meeting to discuss H-3577 regarding equal access to voting<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Hello Federation Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>This Thursday, August 24 at 7PM, we will be holding an information and discussion about an upcoming hearing regarding an amendment to the current access to voting for our community.</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";color:#4F738B'> <strong><span style='font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"'>Charlie Kinnune from Democracy Live </span></strong></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Will join us to help us understand the importance of supporting this legislation. I have also invited some people from our National office of the NFB. We will discuss if and why we might want to support and promote H-3577. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>This amendment Provides uniformity. H-3577 is sponsored by Sean Garballey<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/HD2757">https://malegislaturegov/Bills/193/HD2757</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Reasons to consider supporting and promoting H-3577:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Provides uniformity. Codifies the existing practice in Massachusetts. This bill would ensure all voters will continue to receive the same ballot as all voters in a polling place. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Provides transparency and trust. New systems provide what they call “separate but equal” access. With these systems, voters with disabilities use a system that produces a receipt with a barcode as the official ballot. It looks different from other ballots in the polling place and the barcode is tabulated. It’s not human readable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The greater disability community supports this bill .<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Here is the H-3577 text:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:24.0pt;background:white'><span class=contentpasted0><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#333333'>Section 44 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-</span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Raleway;color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:24.0pt;background:white;box-sizing: border-box'><span class=contentpasted0><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#333333'>Ballots shall be uniform in size, material and content for all voters in a polling place, regardless of whether the ballot is voted on a ballot-marking device or directly on a paper ballot. Ballots shall be tabulated directly from the voter-marked selections and not from a barcode, QR code or other representation not marked by the voter, either on a ballot-marking device or directly on paper.</span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Raleway;color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The hearing date is set for September 19 at 1PM. At this time, we are not sure of the location, but we will publicize that as soon as we know. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Our discussion will be held Thursday night, August via Zoom. We will begin at 7PM. Some members of ACB, will be joining us. I have also invited people from our National office.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Here is the Zoom information: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fnfb-org.zoom.us%2Fj%2F9798687370&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw3Z8kwltvzYhYGFyABjLPNZ" target="_blank">https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/9798687370</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Meeting ID: 979 868 7370<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>---<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>One tap mobile<br>+13092053325,,9798687370# US<br>+13126266799,,9798687370# US (Chicago)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='line-height:15.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>---<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Dial by your location<br>• +1 309 205 3325 US<br>• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)<br>• +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information. Otherwise, see you this Thursday, August 24 at 7PM. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'>At Your Service, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#3C4043;letter-spacing:.15pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Shara Winton<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President, National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>617-304-0347<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>