MA Voters Uphold Law On Drivers Licenses For Undocumented Residents

MASSACHUSETTS — A ballot question that would have repealed a new Massachusetts law granting undocumented residents the ability to seek drivers licenses has passed, according to the Associated Press.

Just afternoon, the "yes" vote to keep the law was leading with about 1.16 million votes against just over 1 million "no" votes. Just under 88 percent of statewide votes had been counted.

Over the summer, state lawmakers passed the Work and Family Mobility act, which will allow undocumented residents to begin applying for licenses on July 1, 2023. Proponents of the new law say it will improve road safety because undocumented residents are already driving unlicensed with no training on local laws.

Shortly after the law passed, the state Republican party formed a committee to gather signatures to overturn the law. Maureen Maloney, a Milford resident whose son was hit and killed by an unlicensed and undocumented driver in 2011, chaired the Fair And Secure Massachusetts committee.

State election officials in September certified that the "no" campaign collected enough signatures to get a question on the November ballot. Out of about 100,000 signatures collected by the campaign, just under 72,000 were found to be valid. The campaign only needed to collect about 40,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

The failure of the repeal happened amid a larger Democratic-leaning wave in Massachusetts in the 2022 election. No Republican candidate came close to winning any of the five statewide seats — including governor — up for election. A ballot question installing a tax on income above $1 million was also passing narrowly.

Farther down the ballot, longtime Republican Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson — known for harsh treatment of people in the Bristol County House of Correction Immigrant Detention Center — lost reelection after 25 years in office.

At the federal level, every Democratic member of Congress in Massachusetts won reelection Tuesday.