COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT - Common Cause

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT

Suffolk, ss.

No. SJ-2020-

MARY BERTIN, CONCEPCI?N PACAS, WILLIE ARTHUR SCOTT, JR., TU TO TRAC, NOELIA RODRIGUEZ, YI HUI WEI, SHU HONG ZHANG, COMMON CAUSE, and MASSVOTE,

PETITIONERS,

VS.

WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN, in his Official Capacity as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

RESPONDENT.

EMERGENCY PETITION FOR RELIEF IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS PURSUANT TO G. L. C. 249, ? 5

Dated: July 13, 2020

OREN M. SELLSTROM, BBO 569045 LAURA MASLOW-ARMAND, BBO 563003 SOPHIA HALL, BBO 684541 JANELLE H. DEMPSEY, BBO 699379 LAWYERS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS 61 Batterymarch Street, Fifth Floor Boston, MA 02110 (617) 988-0608 OSellstrom@

Counsel for Petitioners

ROBERT G. JONES, BBO 630767 PATRICK T. ROATH, BBO 690603 ROPES & GRAY LLP Prudential Tower 800 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02199 (617) 951-7564 Robert.Jones@ Patrick.Roath@

Counsel for Individual Petitioners

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page INTRODUCTION ........................................... 1 PETITIONERS ............................................ 5 REASONS RELIEF IS APPROPRIATE IN THIS COURT PURSUANT TO G. L. c. 249, ? 5 ..................................... 10 FACTUAL BACKGROUND .................................... 12

I. VOTING AND COVID-19 ......................... 12 II. THE ACT ..................................... 14 III. THE SECRETARY'S STATEMENTS .................. 16 IV. THE CARES ACT AND EAC'S GUIDANCE ............ 17

a. CARES Act Funding ...................... 17 b. EAC Guidance ........................... 19 BASES FOR RELIEF ...................................... 20 I. THIS COURT SHOULD ORDER THE SECRETARY TO COMPLY WITH THE LAW IMMEDIATELY ............. 20 II. THE ONLY EXCUSE PROVIDED BY THE SECRETARY FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH THE LAW LACKS A BASIS ....................................... 25 a. EAC Guidance Clearly Allows Cares Act

Funds to be Used to Cover the Cost of Sending Voters Applications for Absentee Ballots ....................... 26 b. Other States Are Currently Using CARES Act Funding to Send Applications to Voters During the Pandemic ............. 28 CONCLUSION ............................................ 29 REQUESTED RELIEF ...................................... 30

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Page(s)

Cases

Ames v. Attorney Gen., 332 Mass. 246 (1955).................................22

Brady v. Board of Appeals of Westport, 348 Mass. 515 (1965).................................22

Brewster v. Sherman, 195 Mass. 222 (1907).................................22

Brooks v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 257 Mass. 91 (1926)..................................22

Chelsea Collaborative, Inc. v. Sec'y of Commonwealth, 480 Mass. 27 (2018)...................................5

Coach & Six Rest., Inc. v. Pub. Works Comm'n, 363 Mass. 643 (1973).............................11, 24

Commonwealth v. Richardson, 454 Mass. 1005 (2009)................................11

Goldstein v. Sec'y of Commonwealth, 484 Mass. 516 (2020)..............................5, 11

Harding v. Commissioner of Ins., 352 Mass. 478 (1967).................................24

Libertarian Ass'n of Mass. v. Sec'y of the Commonwealth, 462 Mass. 538 (2012).................................11

Lutheran Serv. Ass'n of New England, Inc. v. Metropolitan Dist. Comm'n, 397 Mass. 341 (1986).............................11, 21

Massachusetts Soc. of Graduate Physical Therapists v. Bd. of Registration in Med., 330 Mass. 601 (1953).................................22

Reading v. Attorney Gen., 362 Mass. 266 (1972).................................21

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Simmons v. Clerk-Magistrate of Bos. Div. of Hous. Court Dep't, 448 Mass. 57 (2006)..............................21, 24

Wyler v. Sec'y of the Commonwealth, 441 Mass. 22 (2004)..................................12

Statutes 15 U.S.C. ? 9049 (2020) .................................3 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security

(CARES) Act......................................passim G. L. c. 214, ? 1 ......................................11 G. L. c. 231A ? 1 ......................................11 G. L. C. 249, ? 5 ..................................10, 11 H. 4820, 191st Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2020) (enacted

July 6, 2020)....................................passim Other Authorities Exec. Order No. 591 ....................................12

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INTRODUCTION This is an emergency petition seeking relief in the nature of mandamus ordering the Secretary of the Commonwealth (the "Secretary") to comply with the requirements of a recently-enacted law providing residents of the Commonwealth with safer voting options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immediate relief is necessary to prevent the Secretary from undermining the rule of law and to ensure that the Commonwealth's citizens may safely vote in the upcoming elections, despite the ongoing viral pandemic. On July 2, 2020, the Massachusetts General Court (the "Legislature") passed an emergency law entitled "An Act relative to voting options in response to COVID-19" (the "Act"). H. 4820, 191st Gen. Ct. (Mass. 2020) (enacted July 6, 2020); see ADD. 54-73. On July 6, the Governor of the Commonwealth signed the Act into law. The Act introduces a variety of temporary reforms that provide Massachusetts voters with alternatives to the traditional practice of voting in person on Election Day in the upcoming primary and general elections. A key feature of the Act provides that the Secretary "shall" send every registered voter in the Commonwealth an application to request a mail-in ballot (an "Application")

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