Massachusetts Question 1, Definition of Intoxicating Liquors Initiative (1920)
| Massachusetts Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Alcohol laws |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 1 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 2, 1920. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported defining what types of beverages are considered intoxicating liquors. |
A “no” vote opposed defining what types of beverages are considered intoxicating liquors. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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442,215 | 50.53% | ||
| No | 432,951 | 49.47% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Shall an act entitled "An Act to regulate the Manufacture and Sale of Beer, Cider and Light Wines," and in which it is provided that all beverages containing hot less than one half of one per cent and not more than two and three fourths per cent of alcohol by weight at sixty degrees Fahrenheit shall be deemed not to be intoxicating liquor, which act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 121 in favor and 67 against, and passed the Senate by a vote of 26 in favor and 6 against, and was thereafter Vetoed by His Excellency the Governor, and failed of passage in the Senate over the said veto by a vote of 14 in favor and 22 against, be approved? | ” |
Path to the ballot
Before 1952, citizen-initiated ballot measures in Massachusetts required a fixed number of signatures. In 1950, voters approved a constitutional amendment changing this to a percentage-based system, tying the number of required signatures to ballots cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. Before 1952, the signature requirement for indirect initiated state statutes was 20,000, with an additional 5,000 if the Legislature rejected the proposal and proponents wanted it placed on the ballot.
See also
External links
- William Francis Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Statewide Ballot Measures: 1919-Present"
- Boston Sunday Post, "Study This Specimen Ballot----It Will Help You When You Come to Vote," October 31, 1920
Footnotes
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