At Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC), we often hear patients say: “I wanted to register, but I missed the deadline because I was working double shifts” or “I had to choose between taking time off to register and losing pay I need for my medication.”
These aren’t excuses—they are the real trade-offs many of our patients face as they juggle multiple jobs, caregiving responsibilities, and health challenges. For them, the current 20-day voter registration cutoff in Massachusetts creates an unnecessary barrier. The result is that the very people most affected by decisions about housing, transportation, and healthcare are often the least able to influence them.
That’s why our Director of Primary Care, Dr. Nicholas Urbanczyk, recently testified before state legislators in support of same-day voter registration. In his testimony, Dr. Urbanczyk described how some members of our community—patients balancing irregular work schedules, caring for loved ones, and managing chronic conditions—are disproportionately left out of the voting process. Missing the deadline is not about lack of interest; it’s the result of a system that doesn’t account for the realities many people face in their daily lives.
Too often, patients discover they are not registered when they try to vote early or on Election Day. By then, it is too late. As Dr. Urbanczyk explained, “Massachusetts’s current 20-day registration deadline creates an unnecessary burden for the patients I serve most. These are often the same people whose voices are most needed in policy discussions about healthcare access, housing affordability, and worker protections.”
Same-day voter registration would directly address this inequity. It would make the process of registering to vote more accessible and flexible, especially for community members who already face steep barriers in other parts of life. Access to civic participation, like access to healthcare, should not depend on whether someone can afford to take time off work, arrange childcare, or navigate a rigid deadline.
Voting is an act of community ownership. It allows people to have a say in the systems that shape their health and safety, whether that means funding for public transportation that helps patients reach medical appointments, affordable housing policies that reduce stress and instability, or workplace protections that keep families safe. As Dr. Urbanczyk testified, “When our patients vote, they gain direct influence over policies affecting their health and safety: from transportation funding that helps them reach medical appointments, to housing policies that impact their living conditions, to healthcare policy that determines their access to care.”
At its core, voting is about health equity. If some communities consistently face barriers to participation, the decisions that shape health, housing, and opportunity will reflect only a fraction of the voices in our Commonwealth. Removing those barriers helps create more equitable access to civic life, just as we strive for equitable access to healthcare.
Dr. Urbanczyk summed it up clearly: “Higher civic participation in our communities leads to better health outcomes for everyone. Same-day registration is a concrete step toward health equity.”
LCHC CEO Brenda Rodriguez echoed this in her support, emphasizing that our mission is not only to provide quality care, but also to stand with our patients in removing systemic barriers:
“Our patients deserve both quality healthcare and equal access to community participation. Removing barriers to voting is part of building healthier, stronger, and more equitable communities.”
You can read more about Dr. Urbanczyk’s testimony and the growing support for same-day voter registration in Massachusetts here.
Learn more about easy online voter registration on the City of Lynn’s website here, or what options are available if you can’t complete the form yet.
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