Mass. groups sue state over voter registration

Boston (AP) — Massachusetts citizen and community groups are suing the state for allegedly failing to offer recipients of public assistance help in registering to vote.

The suit was filed in federal court on Tuesday by the regional office of the NAACP, the group New England United for Justice and Bethzaida Delgado, a Massachusetts woman who said she was repeatedly denied voter registration services.

The suit alleges that Secretary of State William Galvin's office and the state Department of Transitional Assistance violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by failing to offer registration opportunities to the poor.

Plaintiffs cited a DTA internal report suggesting about 94 percent of public assistance clients did not receive the services.

A spokesman for Galvin said the office does not comment on on-going cases and DTA had no immediate response to the suit.