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Massachusetts Question 6, Beverage Container Refund Program Initiative (1976)
| Massachusetts Question 6 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Business regulations and Pollution, waste, and recycling policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 6 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 2, 1976. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported creating a beverage container refund program. |
A “no” vote opposed creating a beverage container refund program. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 6 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,207,162 | 49.57% | ||
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1,228,185 | 50.43% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 6 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was disapproved by the House of Representatives on May 3, 1976, by a vote of 146-85, and on which no vote was taken by the Senate before May 5, 1976? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
The proposed act would require every beverage container sold or offered for sale in the Commonwealth to have a refund value of at least five (5) cents, and would prohibit the sale of metal beverage containers with flip-tops. It would apply to containers for beer and other malt beverages and to soft drinks. It would not apply to containers for dairy products or natural fruit juices, nor to containers which are biodegradable. The act would authorize the Secretary of Environmental Affairs to certify containers as reusable or recyclable. It contains both enforcement and penalty provisions and would take effect on February 1, 1977. | ” |
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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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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