Massachusetts 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 24
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 17
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 6 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Two statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in the state of Massachusetts. Voters approved Question 1 and defeated Question 2.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndISS | Question 1 | Business regulation | Concerns access to mechanical data in a vehicle's on-board diagnostics or telematics system |  |
| IndISS | Question 2 | Elections | Enacts a ranked-choice voting system for elections in Massachusetts |  |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Question 1, "Right to Repair Law" Vehicle Data Access Requirement Initiative (2020) | $24,902,079.14 | $26,555,884.09 |
|
| Massachusetts Question 2, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2020) | $10,179,108.24 | $8,475.74 |
|
Getting measures on the ballot
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 Massachusetts General Court can also place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred constitutional amendments. Legislative referrals must be approved in two successive legislative sessions.
The signature requirements for measures targeting the 2020 ballot in Massachusetts were as follows:
| Year | Amendment | Statute | Statute add-on | Veto referendum | Veto referendum (suspension of law) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 64,750 | 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.
For measures targeting the 2020 general election ballot, petitioners needed to submit petitions to the Massachusetts Attorney General by August 7, 2019. Petitions could be submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth no sooner than September 4, 2019.
Signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 20, 2019. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 4, 2019.
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndISS | Treatment of Persons with Disabilities Initiative | Healthcare | Prohibits the use of any procedure that causes pain for the purpose of punishing or changing the behavior of a disabled individual | 
|
| IndISS | Prohibit Use of Electric Shocks on Persons with Disabilities Initiative | Healthcare | Prohibits using tasers or administering electric shocks to persons with disabilities to punish them or change their behavior unless used by a law enforcement officer during an arrest or as part of voluntary electrical convulsive therapy |
|
| IndISS | Limit Accrual of Unused Sick Leave Credits Initiative | Labor | Would have prohibited public employees from accruing more than 1,000 hours of unused sick leave |
|
| IndISS | Prevent Sanctuary Cities Initiative | Immigration | Would have allowed law enforcement officers to detain a person and transfer custody of the person to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under certain circumstances |
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| IndISS | Firearm Storage Initiative | Firearms | Would have required all firearms to be stored in a certified gun safe |
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| IndISS | Whale-Safe Determination and Fishing Gear Ban Initiative, #19-09 | Fishing | Would have determined whale-safe status and banned certain fishing equipment |
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| IndISS | Top-Two Primary Elections Initiative, #19-12 | Elections | Would have enacted a top-two primary system for elections in Massachusetts |
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| IndISS | Reducing Risks of Technology Commission Initiative, #19-13 | Environment | Would have established the Reducing Risks of Technology Commission |
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| IndICA | Corporations are Not People and Legislative Regulation of Campaign Finance Initiative | Campaign Finance | Would have stated that corporations are not people and legislature regulated campaign finance |
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| IndICA | Public Funding of Abortion Initiative | Abortion | Would have established that nothing in state constitution requires public funding of abortion |
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| IndISS | Ban on Gillnets and Commercial Fishing Gear Known to Entangle Whales or Sea Turtles Initiative | Hunting and fishing and Environment | Would have banned use of commercial fishing gear known to entangle whales and/or sea turtles |
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| IndISS | Limits on Out-of-State Political Spending Initiative | Campaign finance | Would have limited political spending from out-of-state contributors |
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| IndISS | Limits on Out-of-State Contributions Initiative | Campaign finance | Would have enacted limits on campaign contributions from non-residents and out-of-state PACs |
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| IndISS | Beer and Wine in Food Stores Initiative | Business regulation and Alcohol | Would have allowed food stores to sell beer and wine |
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| IndISS | Nursing Homes Medicaid Ratemaking Initiative | Healthcare | Would have changed the formula for Medicaid ratemaking for nursing homes |
|
Historical facts
- See also: History of Initiative & Referendum in Massachusetts and List of Massachusetts ballot measures
- A total of 39 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Massachusetts from 1996 to 2018.
- From 1996 to 2018, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from zero to eight.
- Between 1996 and 2018, an average of three measures appeared on the ballot in Massachusetts during even-numbered election years.
- Between 1996 and 2018, about 54 percent (21 of 39) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 46 percent (18 of 39) were defeated.
See also
- 2020 ballot measures
- List of Massachusetts ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Legislature
External links
Footnotes
