| Activists pushing a range of issues – from ending all tolls on Massachusetts roads to requiring that presidential candidates disclose six years of their tax returns in order to get on the Massachusetts’s ballot – filed dozens of proposed ballot questions with the state attorney general’s office by Wednesday’s deadline.
Attorney General Maura Healey said of 28 petitions filed, 26 are proposed laws for the 2018 ballot and two are constitutional amendments for the 2020 ballot.
Other questions would seek to reduce the euthanizing of homeless animals, gradually raise the minimum wage from the current $11 an hour rate to $15 an hour, guarantee that workers have access to paid family and medical leave from their employers, and lower the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax to either 5 percent or 4.5 percent while also requiring an annual tax-free weekend in Massachusetts sometime in August.
Another would create a constitutional amendment imposing a 4 percent surtax on annual incomes above $1 million – a so-called “millionaire tax.”
One proposed question also would add to the state constitution the following words: “Nothing in this constitution requires the public funding of abortion.”
Some of the proposed questions have already prompted fierce debate, even before they have a chance to go before voters.
That chance is far from certain.
Filing the questions is just the start of a long, arduous path to the ballot – and many questions that are filed do not ultimately end up being decided by voters.
Still other proposed 2018 questions would require the disclosure of fees related to radiology and other imaging procedures, curb the use of so-called “aversive therapy” including the use of electric shocks for anyone with a physical intellectual or developmental disability, and guard against foreign influence on the political process.
Healey’s office must review the questions to make sure none violate the Massachusetts Constitution.
For instance, a question cannot be approved if it relates to religion, religious practices or religious institutions; the powers of the courts; a specific appropriation of funds; or if it infringes on protected constitutional rights like the freedom of speech.
Healey is expected to announce her decisions on Sept. 6. Healey said she welcomes public input on whether a petition meets constitutional requirements.
If a question is deemed constitutional, supporters must go out and collect the signatures of at least 64,750 registered voters from across the state by Dec. 6. Activists typically try to collect additional signatures just in case some are rejected.
It’s a daunting hurdle and some groups opt to hire professional signature gatherers to help meet the requirement.
Questions must also survive any possible legal action from opponents hoping to knock them off before Election Day – either by challenging signatures or contesting Healey’s judgment.
The questions are posted on the Office of the Attorney General’s website.
