On October 7, 2026, the Binienda Center for Civic Engagement hosted the Commonwealth Ballot Forum as part of a joint tri-campus initiative alongside Salem State University and UMass Amherst aimed at fostering student civic literacy ahead of Election Day. Panelists broke down Ballot Question 4 (Same-Day Voter Registration), examining how the proposed measure would affect voters and municipal election administration in Massachusetts.
State Representative Daniel Donahue, Massachusetts House of Representatives 16th Worcester District Ann Lisi, League of Women Voters of Worcester Niko Vangjeli, Worcester City Clerk’s Office Clare Robbins, Worcester City Clerk’s Office Michael Juarez, WSU SGA President
Moderated by Jamie Binienda ‘99, Deputy Chief Investigator ABBC
Introduction by Senator Robyn Kennedy, Massachusetts State Senate 1st Worcester District
October 7, 2026
By Eric Miller ’22
Worcester State University was honored to host a segment of the inaugural Commonwealth Ballot Forum Initiative in Fuller Theater on October 7, 2026. WSU has partnered with Salem State University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in coordinating this initiative. Its mission is to increase voter education and civic engagement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections by hosting public forums on campus for college students. The subject of these forums: the nine ballot questions that will appear on the Bay State’s general election ballot on November 3. Dozens of students walked over to Fuller Theater on a chilly October morning to hear from campus leaders and Worcester officials about Ballot Question 4, which will implement a same-day voter registration law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ahead of the 2028 election cycle if a majority votes “Yes.”
There was a unifying thread between all of the panelists’ testimony during Wednesday’s forum: the importance of civic engagement and voter education in democracy. Ballot referenda, which use technical language to gauge voters’ opinion on enacted legislation and public policy, inherently rely on informed decision-making to render sound outcomes. In her opening address, State Senator Robyn Kennedy emphasized that ballot questions’ efforts at expanding the representativeness of government are frequently undermined by outside spending, conflicting language in ballot language, and misleading characterizations of issues by parties and interest groups.
Following Kennedy, moderator Jamie Binienda provided a summary of Question 4 to the audience before the panelists responded to questions about the ballot measure. State Representative Daniel Donahue discussed the political history and legislative procedures underpinning the ballot question. Legislative proposals for same-day voter registration in Massachusetts date back to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the General Assembly made mail-in voting easier than ever. However, state lawmakers failed to gain the necessary support to advance bills on same-day registration due to hesitancy to implement sweeping overhauls to election administration during a global health emergency. As a result of the legislature’s inaction, private citizens collected thousands of signatures across two rounds of statewide petitioning in order to sidestep the statehouse and put Question 4 on the ballot. Donahue, representing Worcester on Beacon Hill, supports the measure due to the fact that the city contains overlapping district maps for local elected offices and several polling sites. These can be sources of confusion for residents who move to Worcester, and this measure improves accessibility for voters unfamiliar with the intricacies of election policy.
Clare Robbins and Nico Vangjeli, representing the Worcester City Clerk’s office, elaborated upon this. Most of the New England states have same-day voter registration, save for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They argued that the policy would ensure convenience for voters, poll workers, and election administrators alike, as well as protect election integrity and maintain up-to-date training for election workers. The law would greenlight an expansive list of proof of address identifications that could be used to verify citizenship in Massachusetts, which would avoid disenfranchising eligible voters. The adoption of provisional balloting would provide a failsafe for voters who do not have identification on their person and visit an incorrect polling location, with local governments conducting subsequent verification investigations to prevent voter fraud. Ann Lisi of the League of Women Voters of Worcester added that this would help inactive voters speedily regain ballot access and reduce arbitrary barriers to voting for all eligible voters. This sentiment was seconded by Michael Juarez, President of the WSU Student Government Association, as students are arguably the most mobile, the busiest, and (at large) the newest voting bloc in the United States. Juarez said that the best way to encourage student voting and to boost student knowledge about voting protocols is to improve voter accessibility for this core constituency.
Binienda, along with all five panelists, agreed that these would be easy adjustments for Massachusetts elections officials to make if Question 4 passes. COVID-19 posed the greatest challenge for election administration in generations, and Massachusetts adapted to the moment with a remarkable swing in voter turnout. Now that the technological capacity of state and local government has easily surpassed their capabilities in 2020, same-day voter registration does not appear to be a daunting reform to implement, especially given that twenty-three states already use it. They also all agreed that the most important factor of the success of same-day voter registration, if adopted, is voter education. Institutions of higher education across Massachusetts have been taking great strides in advancing civic engagement and voter education in its student body, and Worcester State is no different. As Jamie Binienda announced at the start of the panel, WSU’s Binienda Center for Civic Engagement had successfully registered over 75 students in their Red, White, and Moo event just days prior.
September 17, 2026 By: Deborah Alvarez O’Neil
Massachusetts voters have the opportunity to explore and discuss key 2026 ballot questions at upcoming public forums hosted by Worcester State University and other public universities.
The new Commonwealth Ballot Forum Initiative led by Worcester State’s John Binienda Center for Civic Engagement aims to bring the conversation to communities across Western, Central, and North Shore Massachusetts on October 7-8.
“We’re inviting the community onto our campuses to engage in thoughtful, nonpartisan dialogue about these important ballot measures,” said Megan Moran, director of the Binienda Center. “Our shared goal is to strengthen democracy by creating pathways for democracy engagement and civic learning.”
The events kick off on Oct 7 from 9:30-10:20 a.m. in the Fuller Theater with Worcester State’s forum on Ballot Question 4. If passed, Question 4 would allow eligible Massachusetts residents to register to vote or update their address at their polling place on Election Day. Voters would need to provide proof of residency and sign an oath confirming that they meet the requirements to vote and are not voting elsewhere in the same election. If someone cannot provide proof of residency at the polling place, they could cast a provisional ballot and provide the required information within the applicable deadline for that election.
The moderated conversation will bring together perspectives from elected representatives, local civic organizations, and the Worcester City Clerk’s Office, with students from the Political Science and History courses Doing Political Science (PO 250) and Plots, Scandals, and Villains (HI 172) participating in the discussion.
On Oct 8, UMass Amherst and Salem State University will also be holding ballot question forums on their campuses.
The public is invited to attend. Online registration is encouraged for each event.
