H 731 Massachusetts House · 193rd Legislature (2023-2024)

An Act updating political terminology

This bill updates Massachusetts election laws to replace the term "Unenrolled" with "Independent" when referring to candidates who are not affiliated with a political party. It also clarifies that the word "Independent" cannot be used as a party designation for voter registration or ballot access, reserving that label specifically for individuals who choose not to enroll with any party. The legislation amends state statutes to ensure consistency in terminology across ballot listings and voter enrollment records while maintaining existing rules about party affiliation and ballot access.
Bill status passed 3 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Feb 2023
Senate Passage
Feb 2023
Governor
Introduced Feb 16, 2023 Last action Jul 15, 2024
Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate. No roll call record of that vote is available.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 16, 2023
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred
upper
Feb 16, 2023
Committee
Referred to the committee on Election Laws
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Susannah Whipps
Susannah Whipps
IIndependent
MA
2nd Franklin