Protecting the public health and our democracy

Mar 25, 2020

Last week, I joined 13 U.S. House incumbents and candidates on a letter submitted to Governor Baker, Secretary Galvin, Senate President Spilka, and Speaker DeLeo requesting an extension on signatures for ballot access. As an Infectious Disease physician who is trained to respond to public health threats and who has spent the past two weeks responding to this crisis, I am confident that postponing the signature deadline by at least 60 days and adhering to a strict policy of social distancing is not just the right thing to do, but necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19. Lowering the threshold of required signatures may also be necessary.

Failing to extend the deadline is a direct threat to our democracy and to public health. I urge the Massachusetts Legislature and Secretary Galvin to take swift action to address this matter, and prioritize public safety by extending the deadline. Neglecting to do so will irresponsibly put people in direct danger by encouraging campaigns to disregard very clear and common sense social distancing guidelines issued by the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health. I would never put my campaign before the safety and wellbeing of staff, volunteers, voters, and election clerks.