State Feed: Massachusetts

Massachusetts: Teachers Union Taking Ballot Question to Court

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:42:12 -0500

The state’s largest teachers union plans to file a lawsuit against the state today for allowing a ballot initiative that would radically alter job protection for teachers in Massachusetts public schools to move forward.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association contends that the ballot initiative fails to meet constitutional muster and should have never been certified last summer by Attorney General Martha Coakley, according to a copy of the complaint that is expected to be filed in the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.

Massachusetts: Teachers Union Taking Ballot Question to Court

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:42:12 -0500

Massachusetts: Change Sought in Gauging Teachers' Performance

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:36:35 -0500

A state ballot initiative that would make the performance of teachers - rather than years of service - the top consideration in whether they keep their jobs is gaining some momentum, even as it faces strong opposition from teachers unions, state education leaders, and other educators.

Lobbyists for and against the initiative will descend on Beacon Hill in the coming weeks as the Legislature considers the proposal. The initiative moved to the Legislature last week, after the secretary of state’s office certified that organizers had secured enough signatures to advance to the next stage of the lengthy process to get a question on a state ballot.

Massachusetts: Galvin Gives OK to 4 Ballot Initiatives

AmandaKathryn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:13:59 -0500

The state’s top elections official has given the green light to four proposed questions for the November ballot in Massachusetts.

Secretary of State William Galvin announced Wednesday that he has informed the House Clerk all four initiative petitions have more than the 68,911 certified signatures of registered voters needed to proceed.

Massachusetts: Bill Seeks Oversight of Casino Vote Spending

AmandaKathryn — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:08:37 -0500

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.

Massachusetts: Ballot could have 4 measures for voters

Trevor Ford — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:32:03 -0500

Voters are poised to decide four statewide ballot questions next year including proposals to allow the terminally ill to take their own lives and to impose a disputed evaluation law for teachers. Two other questions headed for the ballot seek to legalize medical marijuana and to allow independent repair businesses access to all the software they need for repairing motor vehicles.

Read the story from Mass Live

Massachusetts: Health insurance initiative facing difficulty

Trevor Ford — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:15:28 -0400

A ballot campaign to gut a cornerstone of the 2006 health care law signed by Gov. Mitt Romney has generated little out-of-state interest despite the potential national implications of the effort, a top organizer said Thursday. Bridget Fay, treasurer of the campaign to repeal the state’s requirement that residents obtain health insurance – a move that backers say would lead to the unraveling of the entire law – said supporters have collected about 10,000 signatures since early September. Ballot laws require the collection of 69,900 certified voter signatures by Nov. 23 in order to proceed, and successful organizers typically collect 100,000 signatures or more in order to guard against challenges.

Massachusetts: Insurance agents pull ballot initiative campaign

Trevor Ford — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:49:17 -0400

The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) has agreed to a request from state lawmakers to withdraw the ballot initiative it filed in August to prohibit the use of credit scoring, education, and occupational data in auto insurance. From now on, the group will focus on its ongoing legislative effort.

Read the story from the Insurance Journal

Massachusetts Attorney General Approves Petitions for Circulation

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:08:41 -0400

Attorney General Martha Coakley announced Wednesday she has certified nearly all of the proposed questions for the Massachusetts ballot in 2012, including proposals to repeal the state’s health care law, allow the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores, and legalize medical marijuana. Coakley said 23 of the 31 initiative petitions filed with her office by last month’s deadline have been certified, allowing supporters to begin gathering voter signatures to get their measures on next year’s November ballot.

Massachusetts Committee Says NO to Signature Increases, More Threats Loom

Staff — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:35:54 -0400

The Massachusetts General Court [the state legislature] Joint Committee on the Judiciary recommended Monday that two bills aimed at doubling the signature requirements for ballot initiatives ought not to pass. H 1830, sponsored by Rep. Denise Provost, was heard by the committee on March 13; and S 13, sponsored by Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, was heard April 14.

Really? Is it that easy?

Staff — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:17:30 -0400

An editorial in the Boston Globe wonders if it’s too easy for citizen initiatives to make it onto the ballot in Massachusetts. Lawmakers in the state are trying to raise the number of signatures needed by citizens:

Massachusetts: Referendum bill draws criticism

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:48:26 -0400

Legislation sponsored by Representative Denise Provost, a Somerville Democrat, and scheduled for a public hearing yesterday would more than double the number of certified signatures that citizen activists need to put initiative petitions on the statewide ballot, according to Citizens for Limited Taxation, which will testify against the proposal.

Read the story from the Boston Globe

Massachusetts Legislature Working to Increase Signature Requirement for Citizen Petitions

Staff — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:27:39 -0400

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently working to double the number of signatures citizens would need to place a measure on the ballot. Citizens in Charge President Paul Jacob sent a letter to each Massachusetts Senator and Representative calling on them to oppose this restriction on citizen rights:

Massachusetts: Bill would double signature requirement

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:02:23 -0400

The Massachusetts Joint Election Laws Committee will hear HB 1830 and SB 13 on March 23, Wednesday, at 1:30 p.m. These are identical bills to increase the number of signatures for a statewide initiative from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 7% of the last gubernatorial vote. Currently, the Massachusetts statewide initiative process to change ordinary laws requires fewer signatures (as a percentage of the state’s population) than any other state.

Read the story from Ballot Access News

Massachusetts: Citizen starting recall campaign for selectmen

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:30:24 -0500

An Eliot Street resident plans to make a move this week to try to recall members of the Board of Selectmen. Jim Hanna said he plans to get the necessary paperwork from Town Hall this week to conduct the recall. Town bylaws dictate that residents can recall local elected officials by submitting an affidavit with 500 voter signatures, followed by another petition with the signatures of a quarter of town voters.

Read the story from The MetroWest Daily News

Massachusetts: Government change petition won't make ballot

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:48:38 -0500

The organizers behind an initiative to change Falmouth’s current form of government will not be able to gather the required number of signatures to put the question put to voters in May. The group, headed up by F. Bradley Stumcke Jr. of Sailfish Drive, East Falmouth, needed to obtain signatures of 3,872 registered voters, or 15 percent of the electorate, to place the question on the ballot.

Read the story from The Enterprise

Massachusetts: Measures target sales tax increases

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:09:18 -0400

With jobs scarce and many families just scraping by, taxes have taken center stage this political season. In Tuesday’s election, Massachusetts voters will have two opportunities to lower them. Two ballot questions are aimed at sales tax increases adopted last year as the state struggled to meet budget demands. The most far reaching, Question 3, would reduce the state’s sales tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.

Read the story from The Boston Globe

Massachusetts: Candidates comment on different ballot measures

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:24:29 -0400

We’ve compiled the ballot question stances of all the candidates for state offices in the Merrimack Valley. Candidates were given the option to explain their position, but asked to keep explanations brief.

Read the story from the Eagle Tribune

Boston Globe: This Citizen Initiative Thing Might Actually Be a Good Idea

Staff — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:21:33 -0400

The Boston Globe had an editorial yesterday supporting the initiative & referendum process:

Alert: Stop Legislators From Gutting Massachusetts' Initiative Process

Staff — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:30:26 -0400

The following alert has been circulating amongst good-government groups in Massachusetts. If you live in Massachusetts, please contact your legislators and tell them to vote no on SB 23 / HB 3537: