Massachusetts Question 1, Salaries of Government Officials Referendum (1988)
| Massachusetts Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Salaries of government officials |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 1 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Massachusetts on November 8, 1988. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported providing for the salaries of certain government officials. |
A “no” vote opposed providing for the salaries of certain government officials. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 429,008 | 17.20% | ||
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2,065,532 | 82.80% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives on May 20, 1987, by a vote of 93 - 58, and approved by the Senate on May 20, 1987, by a vote of 31 - 8? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
The law provides a salary increase, effective January 7, 1987, for the members of the legislature and certain constitutional officers of the Commonwealth. Beginning at a base salary of $30,000, each member of the legislature will receive a salary increase under the law equal to the compounded percentage increase in the salaries of full time state employees who are subject to collective bargaining agreements between the Commonwealth and the ALLIANCE, AFSCME - SEIU, AFL - CIO in effect between January 5, 1983 and January 7, 1987. Thereafter the salaries of each member of the legislature will be increased by the same percentages as the salaries of full time state employees subject to the collective bargaining agreements. The law further provides that members of the legislature holding leadership positions and committee chairmanships will receive an annual sum in addition to their salary. This additional amount will vary from $7,500 to $35,000 depending upon the particular position the member holds. The law also increases the salaries of certain constitutional officers. Under the law the salary of the governor is set at $85,000; the salaries of the lieutenant governor, state secretary, state treasurer and the state auditor are set at $70,000; and the salary of the attorney general is set at $75,000. Any individual may waive his or her salary increase under this law. Any amount so waived shall not be deemed regular compensation for the purposes of computing any such person's benefits and shall be exempt from state taxation. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. This type of ballot measure is also called statute referendum, popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for a veto referendum election is equal to 1.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. To suspend the law prior to the election, the number of signatures required is equal to 2% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Massachusetts also has a distribution requirement that requires no more than 25% of the certified signatures on any petition can come from a single county. Signatures for a veto referendum petition must be submitted no more than 90 days after the governor signs the targeted bill or it is enacted into law.
A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 30% of the votes cast in the election.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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