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Massachusetts Question 2, Permit Death Penalty Amendment (1982)
| Massachusetts Question 2 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Death penalty |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Massachusetts on November 2, 1982. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported permitting the state legislature to allow state courts to impose the death penalty. |
A “no” vote opposed permitting the state legislature to allow state courts to impose the death penalty. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,131,668 | 60.19% | ||
| No | 748,549 | 39.81% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 2 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate on September 19, 1980 by a vote of 123-63, and on June 21, 1982 by a vote of 125-62? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed constitutional amendment would allow the legislature to enact laws authorizing the state courts to impose the death penalty on the conviction of crimes to be specified by law. The proposed amendment would provide that no provision of the state constitution may in the future be construed as prohibiting the imposition of the punishment of death. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Massachusetts Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two successive joint legislative sessions for the Massachusetts State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the joint session of the state legislature, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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