Massachusetts 2022 ballot measures

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2022 Massachusetts
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Four statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in Massachusetts for the election on November 8, 2022. Three measures were approved, and one was defeated.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • The Massachusetts General Court voted to refer a constitutional amendment that increased the state income tax from 5% to 9% for income above $1 million and dedicate the additional tax revenue to education and transportation purposes.
  • Two initiated state statutes were certified for the ballot related to alcohol retail licensing and medical loss ratios for dental insurance plans.
  • A veto referendum qualified for the ballot that would have repealed House Bill 4805, which changed who is authorized to receive a driver's license.
  • Between 1996 and 2020, about 54% (22 of 41) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 46% (19 of 41) were defeated.
  • On the ballot

    Type Title Description Result Yes Votes No Votes

    LRCA

    Question 1 Create a 4% tax on income above $1 million and allocate revenue for education and transportation purposes

    Approveda

    1,265,815 (52%)

    1,156,323 (48%)

    CISS

    Question 2 Enact a medical loss ratio of 83% for dental insurance plans

    Approveda

    1,717,895 (72%)

    681,238 (28%)

    CISS

    Question 3 Increase the number of alcohol licenses per establishment and prohibit in-store automated and self-checkout sales of alcohol

    Defeated

    1,069,921 (45%)

    1,312,906 (55%)

    VR

    Question 4 Uphold law allowing applicants who cannot verify citizenship or immigration status to submit certain forms of identification to obtain a driver’s license

    Approveda

    1,298,399 (54%)

    1,108,985 (46%)


    Getting measures on the ballot

    See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Massachusetts

    Citizens

    In Massachusetts, citizens may propose initiated state statutes and initiated constitutional amendments. The power of initiative is indirect in Massachusetts, which means the Massachusetts General Court must consider any successful initiative proposals.

    Once enough valid signatures are submitted, proposed statutory initiatives are presented to the legislature. Statutes may be adopted by the legislature by a majority vote in both houses. If a statute proposed by a valid initiative petition is not adopted, proponents must collect another, smaller round of signatures to place the statute on the ballot.

    Initiated constitutional amendments— following the submission of enough signatures— must be approved by one-fourth of the legislature in two successive joint sessions to reach the ballot. No secondary batch of signatures is required.

    Citizens may also challenge legislation passed by the state legislature in the form of a veto referendum.

    The signature requirements for measures targeting the 2022 ballot in Massachusetts are as follows:

    Year Amendment Statute Statute add-on Veto referendum Veto referendum (suspension of law)
    2022 80,239 80,239 13,374 40,119 53,492

    Prior to circulation, petitioners must file a preliminary petition with the attorney general. After an application is submitted, the attorney general must review the proposal to ensure that it complies with the state's subject restrictions. If it complies, proponents then submit the petition to the secretary of the commonwealth, and he or she drafts a summary of the proposed law to be included on the official petition form. This summary must be approved by the attorney general.

    The deadline for proponents to file initiatives with the attorney general's office was 5:00 p.m. on August 7, 2019. Signatures must be submitted to local registrars of voters by two weeks before the first Wednesday in December of the year prior to the targeted election year. Local registrars of voters must submit certified signature petitions to the secretary of state by the first Wednesday in December.

    In order to qualify initiatives for the 2022 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 17, 2021. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 1, 2021.

    Legislature

    See also: Amending state constitutions

    The Massachusetts General Court can also place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred constitutional amendments. Legislative referrals must receive majority approval in two successive joint legislative sessions to be placed on the ballot.

    Historical facts

    See also: List of Massachusetts ballot measures and History of Initiative & Referendum in Massachusetts

    In Massachusetts, a total of 72 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2020. Thirty-eight ballot measures were approved, and 34 ballot measures were defeated.

    Massachusetts statewide ballot measures, 1985-2020
    Total number Annual average Annual minimum Annual maximum Approved Defeated
    # % # %
    72
    1.64
    0
    8
    38
    52.78
    34
    47.22

    Ballot initiative certification rates

    See also: Ballot initiatives filed for the 2022 ballot

    The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in Massachusetts between 2010 and 2020:

    Massachusetts statewide ballot initiatives filed and certified, 2010-2020
    Year Ballot initiatives filed Certified
    # %
    2020
    14
    2
    14.3
    2018
    30
    3
    10.0
    2016
    35
    4
    11.4
    2014
    33
    4
    12.1
    2012
    31
    3
    9.7
    2010
    30
    3
    10.0
    Averages
    28.8
    3.2
    11.3

    Not on the ballot

    Type Title Subject Description Result
    IndICA Corporate Personhood and Legislative Regulation of Campaign Finance Initiative Campaign finance and Definition of a corporation Excludes corporations from the definition of people; allows the Massachusetts General Court to regulate and set limits on political contributions and expenditures Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndICA No Right to Public Funding for Abortion Initiative Abortion Amends the constitution to say "Nothing in this constitution requires the public funding of abortion." Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndICA Voting Rights Restoration for Incarcerated Felons Initiative Suffrage Annuls Article CXX of the Amendments to the state constitution, thereby restoring voting rights for incarcerated felons Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Prohibition on Targeting a Person's Employment over Social Media Activity Initiative Law enforcement Makes targeting a person's employment over social media posts a felony Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Prohibition on Smoking in Multi-Living Housing Units Initiative Tobacco Prohibits smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarette or vaporizer devices, and marijuana in multi-living housing units Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Elections by Hand-Counted Paper Ballots Initiative Voting policy and Elections Requires all votes to be cast on paper and counted by hand Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Representation of American History in Schools Initiative Education and Race and ethnicity Prohibits the representation of American history in a manner that makes "students feel personally responsible, at fault or liable, either individually or as a member of a racial or ethnic group" Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Changes to Voting Policies Initiative Voting policy Prohibits the use of electronic voting machines and electronic tabulation, requires paper ballots with watermarking, and declares election day a state holiday Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Changes to Voting Policies Initiative Voting policy Prohibits the use of electronic voting machines and electronic tabulation, requires paper ballots with watermarking, and declares election day a state holiday Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Limiting Hospital Operating Margins and Chief Executive Officer Compensation Initiative Business regulation Penalizes hospitals for operating margins exceeding 8% and prohibits the chief executive officer of a hospital from serving on the board of directors and from receiving compensation from any company that develops medical devices and pharmaceuticals Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Presentation of Voter Identification Initiative Voting policy measures Requires valid photographic identification to vote Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Hospital Chief Executive Officer Compensation Initiative Business regulation Prohibits the chief executive officer of a hospital from serving on the board of directors and from receiving compensation from any company that develops medical devices and pharmaceuticals Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Limiting Hospital Operating Margins Initiative Business regulation Penalizes hospitals for operating margins exceeding 8% and establishes Medicaid Reimbursement Enhancement Fund Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Repeal Prohibition on "Happy Hours" Initiative Alcohol Authorizes the sale of discounted alcoholic drinks and other changes to repeal the prohibition on "happy hours" enacted in 1984 Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Voter Identification Initiative Voting policy Requires valid photographic identification to vote Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Hate Crimes Against First Responders Initiative Law enforcement Including active and retired first responders in the list of protected classes under Massachusetts' hate crime laws Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Regulation of Commercial Retail of Fireworks Initiative Business regulation Establishes the Consumer Fireworks Regulation Commission to regulate the sale of fireworks Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Whale and Sea Turtle Commercial Marine Fisheries Initiative Hunting and fishing Prohibit the use of commercial fishing gear that entangles whales and sea turtles Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Prohibition on Restricting Gasoline Supply Initiative Energy Prohibits the use of "any tax, fee, other revenue-generating mechanism, or market-based compliance mechanism" to restrict the supply of gasoline needed to meet consumer demand Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Public Disclosure of Corporate Tax Returns Initiative Taxes Requires the state to publicly disclose corporate tax returns in the form of a searchable database three calendar years after the tax return was filed Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Tax Credits for Zero Emission Vehicles, Zero Emission Home Heating Systems, and Home Solar Powered Electricity Initiative Energy Authorizes tax credits for individuals who buy zero emission vehicles, home heating systems, and home solar powered electricity Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS Medical Care Requirements for Born-Alive Infants Initiative Healthcare Requires medical care be provided to infants born alive Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative (Version A) Business regulation Considers app-based drivers to be independent contractors and enacts several labor policies related to app-based companies, including paid occupational safety training Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot
    IndISS App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative (Version B) Business regulation Considers app-based drivers to be independent contractors and enacts several labor policies related to app-based companies Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

    State profile

    Demographic data for Massachusetts
     MassachusettsU.S.
    Total population:6,784,240316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):7,8003,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:79.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:7.1%12.6%
    Asian:6%5.1%
    Native American:0.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.9%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:10.6%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:89.8%86.7%
    College graduation rate:40.5%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$68,563$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:13.1%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Massachusetts

    Massachusetts voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


    More Massachusetts coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Massachusetts

    External links