Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Citizen State Coordinators

Fri, Jun 26 by Anonymous

Contact the Citizen State Coordinator in your state to get involved protecting and expanding the initiative and referendum process. If you don’t see a Coordinator listed for your state, click here to apply.

 

National Citizen Coordinator - Greg Schmid

Click here to email Greg.

 

Arizona - Eric Ehst

Click here to email Eric

 

California - Bruce Cohen

Click here to email Bruce

 

Late last month, Marean met with aides to Senators Thomas M. McGee and Anthony D. Galluccio and Representatives Mark V. Falzone and Kathi-Anne Reinstein at the State House. Marean is asking legislators to pass tougher minimum sentences for vehicular homicide convictions. She said that if lawmakers do not act, she will try to promote a ballot initiative.

Read the story from The Boston Globe

In Massachusetts, legislators on the Elections Laws Committee held a hearing on legislation requiring anyone who is gathering signatures for an initiative petition to wear a button including his or her name, the name of the committee and if and how much the person is being paid to collect signatures

Read the story from Pembroke Express

On June 3, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on three bills to make it more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot. As it usual in Massachusetts, the committee did not take any action on the hearing day itself.

Citizens for Limited Taxation, which has been involved in numerous ballot referendum efforts, called on lawmakers Wednesday to kill three bills that the group says will make it harder for activists to put questions before voters.

Read the story from The Boston Herald

Citizens for Limited Taxation, which has been involved in numerous ballot referendum efforts, called on lawmakers Wednesday to kill three bills that the group says will make it harder for activists to put questions before voters.

Read the story from the Boston Herald

Polic Chief Mark Sorel wants to make sure people don’t interpret the new state law decriminalizing possession of a small amount of marijuana as a license to smoke pot in public.

Read the story from Wicked Local

Voters in Provincetown will be voting on both a permanent and temporary tax increase in the May 5th town elections. Under Massachusetts law, local governments are prevented from raising their tax rates by more than two and one-half percent.

Read the story from the Cape Cod Times

State Balloting Process

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

Ten qualified voters may draw up and sign an original
petition on which they put forward the full text of the law they want
enacted. Each of the ten original signers must obtain certificates of voter
registration from the board of registrars or election commission in the city
or town where they are registered voters. The certificate of voter
registration must be signed by at least three registrars. These certificates
and the original petition must be submitted to the Attorney General no
later then the first Wednesday of August 2001.

Ballot Qualifications & Schedule

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

Date initiative language can be submitted: September 2, 2009

Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Governor

Next Gubernatorial election: 2010

Votes cast for governor in last election: 2,243,835 (2006)

You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.

Coalition for an Open & Accessible Initiative Process:

Citizens for Limited Taxation, MA

Common Cause, MA

Mass PIRG

Massachusetts Citizens for Liberty

History

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

Massachusetts’ Populist Party adopted a resolution in 1895 calling for
statewide initiative and referendum. In 1900, State Representative Henry
Stirling introduced one of the first I&R proposals; Socialist State
Representative James Carey introduced another in 1901. In 1905, Mrs. Ella
0. Marshall organized the Massachusetts Referendum League to push for
I&R, but results were slow to come.

Grade

Mon, Feb 16 by Anonymous

Not satisfied with the city’s response to its petition drive, citizen group Glosta Tea Party filed a lawsuit against Gloucester officials on Friday, Feb. 6 asking for a suspension of the tax incentive plan brokered between the city and developers of Gloucester Crossing.

A hearing set for Tuesday, Feb. 10, in Salem’s Essex Superior Court was delayed until March 18 after the city requested more time to prepare its case.

Jamie O’Hara, a lead organizer of Glosta Tea Party, said his group was caught off guard by the city’s move.

Students who spearheaded a new teen center in Fillmore will help stage its grand opening Saturday to display its activities and give thanks for the community’s support.

The One Step Center opened in September for teens 13-19 but was not fully operational until this week, when several student assistants joined the staff and the center spread out, now occupying two rooms in Trinity Episcopal Church’s parish hall.

“It’s someplace where kids can go and not worry about being judged,” said Stephanie Gonzalez, 17, secretary of One Step’s all-teen board of directors.