ballot questions
An effort in Woburn, Massachusetts, to help educate area voters on the effects of future ballot measures and referendum questions has hit a snag in the City Council’s Liaison Committee. Disagreements over the issue of who would write the summaries describing each ballot issue and who would approve that text have put any action on hold for now.
The issue arose after a 2014 local referendum on the adoption of a “Community Preservation Act,” which election officials were not allowed to explain to voters for the sake of neutrality. The measure ultimately failed, but inspired City Clerk William Campbell to push for some method by which voters could be better informed about ballot questions.
A lot of offices will be decided in Nevada this November, but not a lot of issues. The deadline for signature petitions has passed and the two being circulated didn’t get enough signatures to qualify. Both were conservative-backed issues. One asking that all voters provide photo ID was re-worded and then failed to get enough signatures. The second asked that a statewide health insurance exchange be banned. No signatures were turned in on that one either.
Officials say the number of questions on the ballot in a general election varies every cycle.