William F. Galvin
Top elections official urges quick action on mail-in voting

By Steve Leblanc Jun. 22, 2021 01:26 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — With current no-excuse mail-in voting laws set to expire at the end of the month, state lawmakers need to hurry up and take action to extend...

New law extends some Massachusetts pandemic-era policies

By Steve Leblanc Jun. 16, 2021 03:49 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Some pandemic-era policies that had expired on Tuesday — such as allowing restaurants to offer take-out cocktails — were quickly extended...

Massachusetts lawmakers weigh bills to expand voting access

By Steve Leblanc May. 19, 2021 04:15 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing whether to take some of the voting changes adopted at the height of the pandemic — including the broad use...

Exam requirement lifted for Class of 2022 due to pandemic

Apr. 20, 2021 09:02 AM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — This year’s 11th graders won’t be required to take the MCAS test to graduate as the state continues to slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

Massachusetts expanding vaccine preregistration locations

Apr. 07, 2021 02:04 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts residents hoping to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments through the state website will have additional locations to choose from...

Gov. Baker signs bill extending mail-in voting through June

Mar. 16, 2021 05:58 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie signed into law Tuesday a bill that extends mail-in and early voting options through the end of June in Massachusetts. ...

FILE - In this March 17, 2020, file photo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gives an update on the coronavirus in South Dakota, at the Sanford Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Some of the nation's governors' offices routinely block access to public records to keep the public in the dark about key decisions involving the coronavirus pandemic. Noem's outspoken business-as-usual approach throughout the coronavirus pandemic has made her a darling of national conservatives and allowed her to hopscotch across the country as a fundraising force. (Abigail Dollins/The Argus Leader via AP, File)/The Argus Leader via AP)
Governors evade sunshine laws to keep records from public

By Stephen Groves Mar. 14, 2021 04:00 AM EDT

Massachusetts lawmakers OK bill to extend mail-in voting

Mar. 12, 2021 04:30 PM EST
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts House and Senate have given final approval to a bill that extends mail-in and early voting options through the end of June. ...

FILE - In this March 11, 2008, file photo, moderator Dick Kipperman, right, accepts a resident's ballot during the annual town meeting in Springfield, N.H. The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting New England town meetings in 2021, a tradition where citizens gather to debate and decide on local issues. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Could pandemic further erode the New England town meeting?

By Wilson Ring Feb. 26, 2021 10:29 AM EST

Boston seeks to nix special mayoral election requirement

By Philip Marcelo Feb. 03, 2021 01:39 PM EST
BOSTON (AP) — Boston leaders are looking to bypass the city’s special election requirement as Mayor Marty Walsh prepares to join President Joe Biden’s Cabinet...

Massachusetts offering COVID-19 grants to small businesses

By Steve Leblanc Jan. 14, 2021 02:18 PM EST
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts is highlighting efforts to help small businesses survive the economic turmoil they have suffered because of the coronavirus...

FILE - Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Regulators in Massachusetts claim Robinhood Financial targets and manipulates inexperienced investors and has failed to prevent costly outages on its popular stock trading platform. In an administrative complaint filed Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 by Galvin, the state alleges that Robinhood violated securities laws by aggressively marketing itself to Massachusetts investors “without regard for the best interest of its customers," while also failing to maintain a properly working platform as its number of users exploded. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file)
Robinhood accused of downplaying the risks of trading

By Alex Veiga And Stan Choe Dec. 16, 2020 03:02 PM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, a summary of Ballot Question 2 on the Nov. 3 Massachusetts election ballot known as a "Ranked Choice Voting" law is displayed in Marlborough, Mass., in a handbook provided to voters by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes, File)
Massachusetts voters to decide ballot questions, Senate race

By The Associated Press Oct. 31, 2020 08:22 AM EDT

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden leaves St. Joseph On the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Election 2020 Today: Early voting, White House outbreak

By The Associated Press Oct. 26, 2020 06:40 AM EDT

Brigham and Women's, Broad Institute team up for virus study

By Mark Pratt Oct. 06, 2020 03:45 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard are teaming up for a six-month study of 10,000 people to help...

Restaurants to be allowed to use bar areas for food service

Sep. 23, 2020 12:39 PM EDT
LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts restaurants will soon be able seat up to 10 people at a table and use their bar areas to serve food, Gov. Charlie Baker said...

FILE - In this pair of June 1, 2020, file photos, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, left, and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., right, wait for the start of a debate in Springfield, Mass. Kennedy is a candidate and Markey is the incumbent in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary election for Senate. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool, File)
Candidates make final push for votes ahead of primary

By Steve Leblanc Aug. 31, 2020 02:33 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 1, 2020, file photo, a sign in the window of a U.S. mail truck in Boston asks that people not approach closer than six feet due to concern about COVID-19. As mail voting takes center stage in the November election because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials in Massachusetts are voicing concern about the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to carry out its duties. Unionized postal workers said the federal agency has removed at least a dozen high capacity mail sorting machines in the state. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Post office machine removals spark election concerns, suit

By Philip Marcelo Aug. 18, 2020 01:19 PM EDT

Men wearing protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic exit a Walmart, Wednesday, May 6, 2020, in Walpole, Mass. An executive order signed the previous week by Gov. Charlie Baker took effect Wednesday mandating the use of masks when individuals are not able to socially distance themselves from others. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Virus news: Mask use mandatory, COVID-19 deaths top 4,400

By Steve Leblanc And Mark Pratt May. 06, 2020 11:00 AM EDT