Massachusetts: Bill Seeks Oversight of Casino Vote Spending
Casino developers and their opponents are likely to wage expensive fights to influence voters in potential host communities in the coming months, prompting the state’s top elections official to call for stronger oversight of spending for or against local referendums.
A bill proposed by Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin would require that all spending on a local casino referendum be reported to a state agency that administers campaign finance law, as is the case with statewide ballot questions. Under current rules, money spent to influence votes on a local issue is reported only to the city or town clerk of that community.