SC Pray Safe Act

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Tom Davis and 2 co-sponsors

Creates cross-endorsement (fusion) voting in Massachusetts letting multiple parties endorse the same candidate and aggregate votes across party labels, changing ballots and totals.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary

Summary — S.518 (An Act for Political Party Endorsement Reform)

Note on inconsistency: the bill header provided referenced diversity training for first responders, but the actual bill text and legislative docket for S.518 (filed 1/15/2025) enact a new Chapter 57A titled “Political Party Endorsement” that establishes a cross-endorsement (fusion voting) process. This summary describes the text contained in the bill.

Purpose

S.518 would authorize political parties in Massachusetts to cross-endorse the same candidate and permit votes cast for that candidate under different party lines to be aggregated toward that candidate’s total. The stated intent is to expand voter choice and enable coalitions of parties or political designations to support a single candidate.

Key provisions

Creates new Chapter 57A, “Political Party Endorsement.”

Section 1: Establishes the ability for more than one political party to endorse the same candidate and for all votes for that candidate (across endorsing parties) to be totaled for that individual.

Sections 2–4: Legislative findings asserting that (a) voters desire a broader range of choices, (b) current law prevents vote aggregation across party lines, and (c) other states have analogous provisions.

Section 5: Grants the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (Elections Division) authority to adopt regulations and procedures to implement cross-endorsement, including the legal mechanics by which recognized parties may endorse candidates of other parties.

Who is affected

Political parties (major and minor) — enables coalition endorsements and strategic cross-endorsements.

Candidates — may appear on the ballot multiple times under different party labels with combined vote totals.

Voters — gain the option to vote for a candidate under a preferred party designation while contributing to that candidate’s overall total.

Election administrators and voting systems — will need procedural, ballot-design, and vote-counting changes to support aggregated totals.

Implementation & procedural status

Introduced: 01/15/2025 (Senate Docket No. 918). Presented by Jason M. Lewis (by request) on behalf of Vincent Dixon.

Sponsors include: Mike Lee, Roxanne J. Persaud (primaries) and several cosponsors.

Key actions: Passed Senate (5/19/2025); amended on third reading (518A, 5/20/2025); delivered to Assembly and referred to Governmental Operations. Hearing scheduled 06/17/2025 (1:00–5:00 PM, B‑1).

The Secretary of the Commonwealth would promulgate implementing regulations once enacted.

Potential impacts and considerations

Practical effects: changes to ballot layout, vote tabulation software, reporting, and candidate filing rules.

Policy effects: may strengthen minor parties’ leverage, encourage cross-party coalitions, alter campaign strategy, and affect primary/general election dynamics.

Questions for implementation: how aggregated tallies will be published, ballot presentation of multiple endorsements, and safeguards against strategic manipulation.

Related materials: companion and prior-session bills listed in the docket (e.g., HR 1216, A5501, S341).