Voting season is here again; that means more legislative proposals and new candidates for the senate and house. There are only five questions on the ballot this year, a low number in comparison to what voters normally expect, but these questions will be important in shaping how we want Massachusetts’ future to look like. Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Francis Galvin, published a helpful information packet for voters to read about the ballot questions this year, but some of the proposals still have many pages of information to read to understand them. If you’re like most voters and don’t have the time or energy to read through everything, these summaries from Galvin’s packet are for you.
Question 1: State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature
This question will probably be the most confusing for voters since it’s about functions of the state’s government that the average person doesn’t get to see. The State Auditor is an elected member of the Executive branch of government and her job is to inspect state organizations’ performance and recommend improvements to ensure that every state entity is running smoothly. Right now the state Legislature does not get a review done by the State Auditor since they are in a separate branch of government and conduct their own audits. A YES vote on Question 1 will give permission to the State Auditor to audit the Massachusetts Legislature. Supporters of this proposition hope that a YES vote will increase transparency on how the Legislature spends tax money and hold it more accountable for actions, or inactions, that the public disagrees with. Right now, the state Legislature is exempt from public record laws, which means the public doesn’t get accurate information on what is happening in the law-making process. A NO vote on Question 1 would make no change in the State Auditor’s authority. Opponents of the proposition bring up that giving the authority to an executive branch official to run a legislative audit would breach the separation of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches. Members of the Executive branch are not participants in the legislative process and a YES vote would turn the State Auditor into a participant and would blend the two branches in a way that takes away some independence from the Legislature.
Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement
Everyone who went to public or charter school in Massachusetts is familiar with the MCAS exams. If you’re not familiar, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System is an exam that students have to take every year to determine mathematics, science, and English skills. Right now, passing the MCAS exams are a requirement to receive a diploma in the state and a YES vote would eliminate it as a requirement. MCAS would still exist for Massachusetts’ students, but the graduation requirement would be replaced with a determination decided by each school district. This also means former Massachusetts students who were unable to graduate because of a failed MCAS exam may be able to receive their diploma now. Supporters of the question argue that MCAS is a one-size-fits-all exam and doesn’t take into account other important academic achievements like GPA, quality of coursework, and teachers’ opinions. Elimination of the exams would take pressure off of teachers to teach only for their students to pass and not learn. Opponents of the question argue that certain school districts may just lower their graduation standards to heighten their graduation rates, it will remove the only statewide assessment and grant diplomas to students who aren’t ready to graduate, and it would be too significant a change to our current education system to know if it would truly be better for students.
Question 3: Unionization for Transportation Network Drivers
Twelve pages of the voter information packet were dedicated to this question alone, and that’s how you know it’s a massive deal. Transportation Networks are companies like Uber and Lyft who operate with independently contracted drivers. Right now, drivers have no option to bargain with the companies they work for about wages, benefits, and work conditions. Unions will often bargain with companies on behalf of the employees for all of these things. Supporters of a YES vote argue that, giving drivers an option to unionize, will give them a bargaining chip while maintaining independence and flexibility while working. Opponents of the proposition argue that driver unionization will raise prices for consumers, and force drivers to join a union when they don’t want to. Drivers in Massachusetts already receive a plethora of benefits such as a base pay of $32.50 per hour, paid family medical leave, on-the-job injury insurance, anti-retaliation protections, and many more, so there is really no need for them to unionize. They also argue that, while prices get raised for consumers, drivers would be paid less while funding goes directly to the union.
Question 4: Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances
Yes, this question is talking about mushrooms, specifically two psychedelic substances found in mushrooms called psilocybin and psilocyn. The voter information packet provided 16 pages of information for this question, so this is also a very big deal. A YES vote would legalize psychedelic substances for people over the age of 21, with significant restrictions. The substances would need to be prescribed by someone who has obtained a license and a commission would be created for regulation. Supporters of the proposition argue that psychedelic medicines can be effective as treatments for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Opponents of the proposition argue a black market for mushrooms would be created with home growth, DUIs would increase, psychedelics can produce cardiotoxicity and might induce heart failure in someone who takes a dose, it’s potentially dangerous to children and pets as it may be accidentally consumed, and there’s no way to know that licensed clinics that prescribe the drug aren’t prescribing it to high-risk patients like people with schizophrenia, bipolar, or pregnant women. A NO vote would keep the law as is and not legalize psychedelic medicine at all.
Question 5: Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers
This proposition is pretty self explanatory. Right now, servers, bartenders, and other tipped service workers get paid $6.75 an hour with tips supplementing their gained income. A YES vote would slowly raise the wage of service workers to 100% of minimum wage by 2029, with every year until then having a slight increase. Supporters of the proposition argue that it would be fair for workers to receive a more predictable paycheck with a full wage plus tips, and it would be fair for consumers to have the option to tip or not. Consumers feel obligated to subsidize service workers because they know they don’t get paid a full wage, but this would incentivize them to tip for good service instead of moral obligation. Opponents of the proposition argue that service workers don’t want how they earn money to be changed. If they’re making a full wage then their earned tips could be put into a tip pool and distributed amongst all their coworkers. Raising wages that businesses have to pay their employees could raise prices for consumers and lower the amount of money that service workers make overall. Also, while supporters argue that the proposed law is fair for employers because it could reduce employee turnover, opponents argue that it will actually make service workers leave the industry.