Massachusetts Question 6, Compensation of Legislators Referendum (1964)
| Massachusetts Question 6 | |
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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 6 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Massachusetts on November 3, 1964. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported providing for the compensation of legislators. |
A “no” vote opposed providing for the compensation of legislators. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 6 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 625,194 | 37.11% | ||
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1,059,352 | 62.89% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 6 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 180 in the affirmative and 40 in the negative and was approved vote in the Senate by a of 28 in the affirmative and 5 In the negative? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
Under the Act, effective as of January 1, 1964, each member of the General Court shall receive seventy-eight hundred dollars for each regular annual session, the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each receive the same amount as additional compensation, and the floor leaders of each of the major political parties in the Senate and House, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of that committee of the House, shall each receive thirty-nine hundred dollars as additional compensation, to be paid as provided in the Act. After the same date the annual expense allowance is to be six hundred dollars for each member and the travel allowance is to be eight cents per mile with a stated minimum and an alternative, and a member chosen to fill a vacancy or who resigns during a session is to be entitled to per diem compensation at the rate for each regular annual session and to the allowances for travel and other expenses for the time of his membership. It is also provided that in addition to the compensation for the 1963 annual session the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House shall be paid thirty-nine hundred dollars, the floor leaders of each major political party in the Senate and House, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Chairman and Vice-Chairman of that committee of the House, shail be paid twenty-nine hundred and twenty-five dollars and each other member shall be paid nineteen hundred and fifty dollars. Each member shall also be entitled to an additional expense allowance of two hundred dollars for the calendar year 1963 and the travel allowance shall be at the rate of eight cents per mile with a stated minimum and an alternative for the balance of the calendar year 1963. | ” |
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
- William Francis Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Statewide Ballot Measures: 1919-Present"
- The Springfield Union, "Legal Notice," October 27, 1964
Footnotes
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