Massachusetts "Corporations Are Not People" Initiative (2016)
| Not on Ballot |
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| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
The Massachusetts "Corporations Are Not People" Initiative did not make the November 8, 2016, ballot in Massachusetts as an initiated constitutional amendment. The measure, upon voter approval, would have declared that corporations "are not people and may be regulated" and empowered the legislature to regulate and set limits on political contributions and expenditures.[1]
The Massachusetts Attorney General's office rejected the initiative on September 2, 2015 because it did not comply with article 48 of the amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution.[2]
The notice states:
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This is a matter that the Legislature may address through a constitutional amendment, but that the Constitution does not allow through the initiative petition process.[2][3] |
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| —The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General | ||
Read the full letter here.
Path to the ballot
When signatures for an initiated constitutional amendment are certified in Massachusetts, the initiative then goes to the General Court, where at least one-fourth of legislators in both chambers need to approve the initiative. If approved, the measure is certified for the ballot.
A total of 75,542 signatures would have been needed to certify the initiative for the ballot.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Massachusetts Attorney General, "PassMassAmendment’s 2015 Initiative Petition," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Official Website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Current Petitions Filed," accessed September 14, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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