Massachusetts Question 2, Veteran Civil Service Point System Initiative (1926)
| Massachusetts Question 2 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Civil service and Veterans policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 2 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 2, 1926. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported replacing the existing civil service preference for veterans, which placed them at the top of eligible lists, with a system that instead adds 5 points to the exam scores of veterans and 10 points for disabled veterans. |
A “no” vote opposed changing the existing civil service preference system, keeping veterans and disabled veterans at the top of eligible lists. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 352,796 | 48.02% | ||
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381,895 | 51.98% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 2 was as follows:
| “ | Shall a law which amends existing law by striking out the provisions that veterans who pass Civil Service examinations shall be placed upon the eligible lists above all other applicants, that disabled veterans shall be placed ahead of all other veterans, and that disabled veterans shall be appointed and employed in preference to all other persons; and by providing in place thereof, that five points shall be added to the mark of veterans who pass such examinations, and tea points to the mark of disabled veterans, which law was disapproved YES In the Senate by a vote of 0 in the affirmative and 34 in the negative, and in the House of Representatives by a vote of 11 in the affirmative and 181 in the negative, 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"
- The Springfield Sunday Union and Republican, "Specimen Ballot for Tuesday's Elections," October 31, 1926
Footnotes
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