BOSTON – The Massachusetts Family Institute, an advocacy group, and Attorney General Maura Healey added their voices this week to the chorus gathering around lawmakers urging action on bills that would mandate access to public restrooms and other accommodations for transgender individuals and protect them from harassment.
On Tuesday, the state's entire congressional delegation pressed lawmakers to pass the measures pending in legislative committees, either signing a letter written by U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Brookline) or saying they supported its message.
Boston's City Council elections last week recorded the lowest voter turnout in recent years, clocking in at 14 percent, or less than half the proportion who came to the polls in 2013. Yet participation has been above the basement-level national average of late.
In Boston's election two years ago, which drew about 38 percent of registered voters to the polls, a mayoral race topped the ticket. In a city with a powerful mayor's office, such contests often boost turnout. And in comparison to most U.S. cities, Boston's 2013 turnout was above average.
