Massachusetts signature requirements
From Ballotpedia
Contents |
Signatures in Massachusetts must equal 3% of votes cast for governor in the last election. This is the lowest percentage requirement for a constitutional amendment for any of the initiative or referendum states.
- The type of initiative in use in Massachusetts is the indirect initiated initiative, both the indirect initiated state statute and the indirect initiative amendment. That means that after petition signatures are collected, the state legislature is required to consider whether it will adopt the proposed law without the need for a statewide vote of the people on the proposed initiative.
- If the state legislature declines to act on a proposed initiated statute that has successfully gone through a first round of signature collection, supporters of the measure are required to collect a second round of signatures, totalling 0.5% of the vote cast for governor in the most recent election.
- If the measure under consideration is an amendment, the state legislature must consider it in two successive sessions of the legislature, and in each of those sessions, 25% of state legislators must support it for it to go on the ballot.
- The same percentage is needed for a statutory initiative as is required for an constitutional amendment. (Colorado and Nevada are the only other states where this is the case).
- 2% is required for a veto referendum.
Signature requirements
| Year | Amendment or statute | Amendment or statute add-on | Veto referendum | Add-on period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 66,593 | 11,099 | 44,396 | 11,099 |
| 2008 | 66,593 | 11,099 | 44,396 | 11,099 |
Basis for calculation
- The number of signatures required equals 3% of the total votes cast for Governor at the last general election. In the state's 2006 gubernatorial election, 2,243,835 votes were cast. The number of required signatures will change again after the 2010 gubernatorial election.
- The add-on requirement: For 2010, the number of add-on signatures required if the legislature fails to act on the proposed measure is 11,099.
Distribution requirement
- See also: Distribution requirement
The state of Massachusetts has two distinct distribution requirements:
- No more than 25% of signatures may be from one county in all types of petitions.
- No more than one-quarter (16,648 for 2010) of the certified signatures may come from any one county.
Signature deadline
For the 2010 ballot, petitions must be submitted to the Local Registrars of Voters at least 14 days before the first Wednesday in December for verification, with the exception of Boston, which will be 10 days earlier. Once signatures are verified by the Local Registrars of Voters, proponents have until the first Wednesday in December to submit them to the Secretary of State.
See also
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Massachusetts
- Walsh v. Secretary of the Commonwealth
- Hurst v. State Ballot Law Commission
External links
- How to Place a Question on the State Election Ballot
- Ballot Initiative Limits Sought, an article from The Boston Globe
- Signature requirements to initiatives
- Information on Referendum Petitions from the Secretary of the Commonwealth
- NCSL signature chart for 2008
- Massachusetts signature requirements collated by the Citizens in Charge Foundation
