Massachusetts Charitable Solicitation Regulation Initiative (4) (2012)

Not on Ballot
This measure was not put on an election ballot

The Massachusetts Charitable Solicitation Regulation Initiative did not make the November 6, 2012 general election ballot in the state of Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute. Pearl D. Cohen was the sponsor of the initiative, which was filed six different times with the Massachusetts Attorney General. However, only four were certified for circulation by the Massachusetts Attorney General, stating that two versions of the initiative infringed on freedom of speech.

The measure would have changed the "do not call" list law to regulate certain charitable solicitations. The petition numbers for the six initiatives were 11-03 through 09. 11-04 and 11-07 were the rejected petitions.

According to reports, the measure was proposed in order to make telefundraisers more transparent to those they target for charity. According to Cohen, the measure would have made telefundraisers transparent to seniior citizens, who she said at the time were targeted often. Cohen commented: “When I became a telefundraiser in ’93, I had no idea how much misrepresentation and deception this industry could be involved with. Like many folks, I wanted to save the world.”

Path to the ballot

Backers needed to collect 68,911 signatures by the December 7, 2011 petition drive deadline. The measure did not submit signatures by that deadline.

See also

• Massachusetts 2012 ballot measures
• 2012 ballot measures
• List of Massachusetts ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts