Public distrust in election process concerns Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin
BOSTON – Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin spoke to WBZ-TV about his concerns over public distrust in the election process, as well as how ballot questions in the state have become a "money pit."
"I'm confident in people's interest in making sure tomorrow's democracy is protected," said Galvin, the senior state election official in the nation.
Public's concerns over voting process
But Galvin's general confidence co-exists with worry.
"I'm concerned about the twists and turns and many recent developments such as social media, misinformation, AI, all these things that we've seen develop and the effect that can have on the reluctance of people to accept an election result," he told WBZ. "As Americans, we should join in accepting the concept that we all vote, but we always don't win."
Galvin has been talking with other election officials around the country.
"Many of us share the same concerns that we have citizens who are distrustful of the process, we have anxiety about the accuracy of the process, none of which are factually justified. But nevertheless, it's contributing to an unease in our democracy, and there's no ignoring that reality," he says.
Ballot questions becoming "money pit," Galvin says
Galvin also expressed concern about the amount of money being spent on ballot-question campaigns, which in Massachusetts this fall will include battles over dropping the MCAS test as a graduation requirement, keeping the ride-share industry free from many employer regulations, and expanding the state auditor's power to oversee the Legislature, among other questions.
"It's a very valuable process," he said of the initiative petition system. "My concern is that increasingly it has become simply a money pit for all the various interests.... The amount of money being spent is remarkable."