By Massachusetts Voters Face Longer Ballot This Year
Massachusetts voters will decide an unusually large number of ballot questions this year. Historically, voters in the state vote on about 2-4 questions, but there will be 9 on this year’s ballot.
Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin authored an 87-page “Information for Voters” booklet that has been mailed to households. The booklet includes the legislative texts of all the proposed laws, and because of the higher number of questions, it is longer than normal this year.
The booklet has details of proposed laws voters will decide on, related to single-family housing, recreational marijuana, firearm laws, and other state administration laws.
What the Questions Would Change
One question asks voters whether they are in favor of expanding the state’s public records law to include the legislature and the governor’s office. At present, the law only includes state agencies and local cities and towns. A “yes” vote on this question would change the public records law, and a “no” vote would mean no changes to the public records law.
There are no arguments against this proposal in the booklet.
These include public defenders, both private and state-appointed, that provide representation to people who cannot afford their own attorneys in civil or criminal cases. A “yes” vote would give these employees collective bargaining rights and a “no” vote would make no changes to their work situations.
Primary System Question
Another question concerns how the state runs its primaries. Currently, Massachusetts operates party-based primaries, where voters registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote in their respective primaries. Independents, too, can vote in a primary of their choosing since Massachusetts has a semi-closed primary system.
Voters can consult the “Information for Voters” booklet for the full legislative text of each proposed law before casting their ballots.
The questions on this year’s ballot cover election rules, public records, and other state administration matters.
