Rejected Ballots In MA: Urban Voters Hurt Most, Data Shows

MASSACHUSETTS — The Election Modernization Coalition voting rights group released data this week showing that thousands of provisional ballots were thrown away in the 2020 election, with almost three-quarters of those belonging to voters from the state's largest cities.

The data reveals how many votes went uncounted during the consequential 2020 election, which helped decide the presidency, plus scores of state and city-level offices. Voters can request a provisional ballot if they arrive at a polling place and find out they aren't on the voter rolls.

Out of the 4,323 provisional ballots cast in 2020, over 2,500 were thrown away, and over 1,000 of those were in just three cities: Boston, Worcester and Lowell, according to the Election Modernization Coalition.

The high number of lost ballots underscores the need for same-day voter registration in Massachusetts, members of the coalition said. Nineteen states allow the practice, including every New England state except Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“It is immensely frustrating that, in communities with the largest Black and brown, low income, and immigrant communities, thousands of individuals tried to vote, but did not have their votes counted,” MassVOTE Executive Director Cheryl Clyburn Crawford said in a news release. “This is unacceptable. By passing Election Day Registration, we make it possible for officials to update voter registration information on election day, ensuring that all votes that should be counted are counted.”

About three-quarters of cities and towns in Massachusetts did not issue more than five provisional ballots, according to the data. See how many were issued and either rejected or accepted in your community here.