This information on upcoming ballot questions was pulled together by Norman Daoust, a Raymond Street resident.
In addition to voting for president and other federal and state offices, voters in Massachusetts have the opportunity to vote Nov. 5 on several ballot questions, most of which change or add a state law.
Five of the ballot questions will appear on all ballots in the state and have names assigned by the secretary of state. You can find information and arguments for and against all of these statewide questions in the Massachusetts Information for Voters booklet (known as the “red booklet”) that the secretary of state mailed to voters in September or from the office’s website at bit.ly/3YoHshu.
In addition to those five statewide questions, there is one question (numbered 6) that will appear on the ballot in all of Somerville and a different question (numbered 6) that will appear on the ballot of those voters who live in two state representative districts contained partially in Cambridge.
Question 1: State auditor’s authority to audit the Legislature
The question would make explicit the authority of the state auditor to audit the state Legislature. It adds only five words to the current law: “and the general court itself.” The “general court” is the constitution’s term for what we refer to as the Legislature. According to a report by The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts, the state auditor is focused on ensuring that “state agencies follow existing laws and regulations.”
A “yes” vote would explicitly provide the state auditor the authority to audit the state Legislature. A “no” vote would make no change to the state auditor’s authority.
Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as a high school graduation requirement
The ballot question would change the use of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test as a high school graduation requirement to optional from mandatory and specify that the use of completed coursework that demonstrates the corresponding skills, competencies and knowledge could be used instead. It does not eliminate the use of the test. The use of the test is mandatory for public school students, but not private school or home-schooled students.
A “yes” vote would change the use of the MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement from mandatory to optional. A “no” vote would leave in place the use of the test as a requirement for high school graduation.
Question 3: Unionization for transportation network drivers
This would allow for these drivers, also known as rideshare drivers, to be represented by a labor union that could bargain jointly with transportation network companies (Lyft and Uber, for example). This is known as sectoral bargaining. It would allow a state employment relations board to deal with unfair labor practices. It would not apply to delivery network drivers (for DoorDash and Instacart, for instance). Because transportation network drivers are considered independent contractors under the National Labor Relations Act, that law does not guarantee them the right to join a union. The proposed law would guarantee transportation network drivers the right to join a union in Massachusetts. The full text of the law is eight pages.
A “yes” vote would allow transportation network drivers (for Lyft and Uber, etc.) to be represented by a union. A “no” vote would make no changes, which means transportation network drivers are not eligible to be represented by a union.
Question 4: Limited legalization and regulation of certain natural psychedelic substances
The proposed law would allow for the use of five naturally occurring substances – psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine, mescaline and ibogaine – by people 21 years or older. There are two parts to the law. One would allow for the supervised use in licensed locations by a licensed facilitator. The other would allow for people to grow and use the substances in their homes and to give a personal-use amount to a person 21 or older. It would create a Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission to adopt regulations and administer the law. It would allow cities and towns to specify the hours and locations of licensed facilities but not prohibit them. Property owners would be allowed to prohibit the use or growing of these substances on their properties. Sales of the substances would be subject to the state sales tax and an additional 15 percent state excise tax. Local governments could also impose a local sales tax. Colorado passed a similar ballot measure for the same five substances in 2022; Oregon passed a ballot measure for psilocybin in 2020. The full text of the law is 11 pages.
A “yes” vote would allow for the use of the five substances (psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine, mescaline and ibogaine) to be used legally by people 21 years or older. A “no” vote would make no changes for these substances, which are illegal.
Question 5: Minimum wage for tipped workers
This law would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers to the regular minimum wage of $15 from $6.75 per hour – gradually, from 2025 to 2029. In addition, as long as all employees are paid the minimum wage, it would allow the pooling of tips to be shared with cooks and other nonmanagement staff. Seven other states have implemented similar laws. The full text of the law is more than one page.
A “yes” vote would increase the minimum wage of tipped workers gradually over five years. A “no” vote would leave the minimum wage for tipped workers at $6.75.
Question 6 (in Somerville)
This would increase the current 1.5 percent surcharge on the annual property tax to 3 percent. This surcharge goes to the Community Preservation Fund, which can be spent only on affordable housing, open space and historic preservation. The city has adopted several exemptions for low-income people, low- and moderate-income seniors, $100,000 of residential properties and certain commercial and industrial properties. The City Council approves of this increase. Details are available here.
A “yes” vote would increase the 1.5 percent surcharge to 3 percent. A “no” vote would leave the surcharge at 1.5 percent.
Question 6 (in parts of Cambridge)
This question is sometimes referred to as “Medicare for All.” It is known as a public policy question and is nonbinding, meaning it does not require a state representative to take any specific action.
This will appear on the ballot of those voters in the 2nd Suffolk state representative district of Daniel Ryan, which includes a small part of Cambridge, Ward 1, precincts 1 and 2, as well as Ward 2, Precinct 3; and the 24th Middlesex state representative district of David Rogers, which includes a small portion of Cambridge, Ward 11, precincts 1 and 3. This same question will appear in nine other state representative districts.
The full text of the question is “Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote for legislation to create a single-payer system of universal health care that provides all Massachusetts residents with comprehensive health care coverage including the freedom to choose doctors and other health care professionals, facilities and services, and eliminates the role of insurance companies in health care by creating an insurance trust fund that is publicly administered?”
A “yes” vote requests your state representative to vote for what is generally known as “Medicare for All” in Massachusetts. A “no” vote indicates you do not want them to vote for “Medicare for All” in Massachusetts.
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That’s just what Cambridge needs….more psychedelics. Because all that marijuana tax money solved everything.