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Massachusetts Question 5, Local Charter Commission Referral Timeline Amendment (1978)
| Massachusetts Question 5 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Ballot measure process and Local government organization |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 5 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Massachusetts on November 7, 1978. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported amending the state constitution to give local charter commissions 18 months, instead of 10, to prepare a proposed charter or charter revision for voter approval. |
A “no” vote opposed amending the state constitution to give local charter commissions 18 months, instead of 10, to prepare a proposed charter or charter revision for voter approval. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 5 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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812,263 | 51.50% | ||
| No | 764,800 | 48.50% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 5 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 Senate on May 26, 1976, by a vote of 260-1, and on August 10, 1977, by a vote of 255-0? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed constitutional amendment would allow a local charter commission 18 months after its election to prepare a charter or charter revision for submission to the voters of a city or town. Presently, the constitution provides that the charter or charter revision be prepared within 10 months of the election of the charter commission. | ” |
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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