Massachusetts Question 4, Political Party Qualification and Candidate Nomination Requirements Initiative (1990)
| Massachusetts Question 4 | |
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| Topic Election administration and governance and Voter registration |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 4 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 6, 1990. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported this ballot initiative to:
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A “no” vote opposed expanding political designation options, lowering the threshold for groups to qualify as political parties, and reducing signature requirements for candidate nominations. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 4 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,134,535 | 52.46% | ||
| No | 1,027,966 | 47.54% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 4 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or House of Representatives before May 2, 1990? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
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This proposed law would change the state election laws governing the establishment of political parties and the nomination of candidates. The proposed law would allow voters to register under a political designation other than "Independent" and in addition to the two political parties previously recognized by law (Republican or Democrat), if at least fifty voters request to be permitted to do so. It would allow any group to qualify as a political party under Massachusetts law if at least one percent of the total number of registered voters register to vote using that group's political designation, or if at least three percent of the votes cast at the preceding election for any statewide office were cast for a candidate running under that group's political designation. The proposed law would set the minimum number of signatures needed on independent or minor party nomination papers for state office at one-half of one percent (1/2%) of the entire vote cast in the previous state election for governor (as compared to 2% as of 1989), and would also establish this number of signatures as the upper limit needed for major party candidates. The proposed law would also permit voters to sign the nomination papers of any number of candidates for the same office, would require that all blank forms to be used for nomination papers and initiative and referendum petitions be no more than 8 1/2" by 14" in size, and would allow signatures to be collected on exact copies of those forms. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 3% 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.
The state Legislature has until the first Wednesday of May in the election year to pass the statute. If the legislature does not pass the proposed statute, proponents must collect a second round of signatures equal to 0.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The Legislature also has the power to place an alternative measure alongside the proposed statute via a simple majority vote of the state legislature.
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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