“Transgender could be defined out of existence by Trump administration” read the headline on the New York Times story from Monday, reporting on a leaked memo that showed the Department of Health and Human Services was seeking to define gender on a “biological basis”. On Wednesday, the Justice Department argued to the Supreme Court
Surprise! Mass. Dems don’t want to abolish ICE
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Follow Twitter trends and cable news discussion, and you’d think the Democratic base was all-in on the idea of abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Indeed, even national polling seemed to show Democrats headed in that direction, with a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll finding Democrats support abolishing ICE (43 percent) over keeping it (34 percent). Trump
Can Ocasio-Cortez return the favor for Ayanna Pressley?
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Going into the 7th Congressional District debate this week, Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley trailed the incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano by 13 points, according to the latest WBUR poll. The debate was less about issues than it was whether voters want experience or a new perspective in Congress. That’s in keeping with the polling: only
Boston considers non-citizen voting
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Voting is the core of democracy. But who gets to vote has been fraught with political disagreement since America’s earliest days. Recently, a series of decisions from the Supreme Court has loosened enforcement of voting rights in places with sometimes dubious track records. Those rulings, and continued talk of voter fraud from the administration, has
Late Registration
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Massachusetts is home to more than one hundred colleges and universities and is the birthplace of American democracy. (Yes, that’s right, Eagles fans.) Nonetheless, the State Supreme Judicial Court recently upheld a voter registration law that makes it harder for college students to vote in our state primary elections. The SJC upheld a rule requiring
Are you there, Massachusetts? It’s me, the primaries
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Ahhh, the Fourth of July. When we come together to commemorate the beginning of the grand experiment that is America, celebrating government for and by the people. And in Massachusetts – the birthplace of the revolution – the gravity of the moment is not lost on voters as they march toward the purest expression of
Boston Back at the Bidding Table: World Cup 2026 Edition
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FIFA announced on Wednesday that the United States, Mexico, and Canada won a joint bid to host the 2026 Men’s World Cup. The tournament will be a first on a couple fronts – the first to feature an expanded roster of 48 teams, and the first to be hosted by three countries. The U.S. will host the
Lauren Louison Grogan named President and CEO of MassINC
Leadership transitions mark a new beginning for the Institute
Dear Friend of MassINC, We have big news! Lauren Louison Grogan has been named the next President of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), the publisher of CommonWealth magazine, and a member of The MassINC Polling Group Board of Directors. Ann-Ellen Hornidge, Chair of the MassINC Board of Directors, and outgoing President Greg Torres announced the appointment this
Last Exit Before Poll
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The 2016 cycle was a tough one for exit polling. The major networks’ exit polls showed results far more favorable to Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump, and struggled to accurately represent the demographics of the electorate on key figures such as education, a key indicator of partisanship. This isn’t the first time exit polls have misled the public; don’t
Voters give green light on “red flag” gun law
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Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced this week the House would take up the so-called “red flag” gun safety bill. The move ended months of speculation and growing pressure from outside the building. The proposed legislation would “allow a judge to temporarily seize guns from someone who might pose a danger to themselves and others.” Eight states