Massachusetts voters will face a slew of state ballot initiatives when they go to the polls this November — even after the Supreme Judicial Court tossed two of the more celebrated ballot questions this spring.
Those disqualified questions involved one proposal to reinstate statewide rent control and one to lower the state income tax from 5 to 4 percent. The SJC removed both questions from the ballot because it ruled that they were either misleading as written or unconstitutional because of specific provisions.
Among the nine initiatives surviving to the state ballot is one that would essentially repeal the legalization of marijuana statewide that was approved in 2016. Under the initiative, personal possession of a limited amount of marijuana would still be legal, but the taxed, retail sales would be eliminated.
The legalization of marijuana was passed by a 54 percent majority a decade ago, with hundreds of retail locations now open statewide.
Other ballot questions would limit the amount of tax revenue the state could collect to the sum of the net amount of state revenue from the year prior and the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the past three years.
It would also include the so-called "millionaire's tax" in that sum, thus limiting the amount of "extra revenue" generated through that tax.
The "top-two primary question" would eliminate party-affiliated primaries for statewide office and instead have the top-two vote-getters advance to the general election — similar to what is done in most municipal elections.
It would also create a Gov.-Lt. Gov "ticket" similar to what has been done informally in the state for several years, ensuring that those two officeholders are elected together.
A "Nature for All Fund Initiative" would create a new fund from sales tax on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses to go toward natural resource conservation.
Another ballot question would allow, by-right single-family home construction on minimum lots of 5,000 square feet — overruling many local ordinances that require up to 1 acre or more on a lot for new home construction.
Other questions would allow collective bargaining for public counsel services employees, such as state social workers, one that would allow for same-day voter registration, a public records requirement for the legislature and governor's office, and an initiative that would codify an electronic tracking system for firearms, prohibit assault-style firearms and allow for court-ordered "extreme risk protection orders" to seize firearms from those who are potentially a danger to themselves or others.
The nine ballot questions match the most since 1918. There were also nine ballot questions in 1972, 1976 and 1994.
See Also: 5 Massachusetts Day Trips Worth Taking This Summer
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