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MA Ballot Questions 2024
Oct. 20th, 2024 05:19 pmI've already submitted my ballot for the year, but I usually go through the ballot questions and my position on them, so why not this time as well.
Question 1 is about enabling the current State Auditor's quest to audit the legislature. The legislature already publishes detailed financial disclosures. I was mostly persuaded by the Committee on Initiative Petition's arguments against in this case and voted no. (Though note they tend to oppose every ballot measure. Which makes sense, in that you'd expect them to be representative of the legislature as a whole, and if the legislature as a whole thought an initiative petition was a good idea, they'd just pass it themselves.)
Question 2 removes the MCAS (Massachusetts standardized tests) as a graduation requirement. It doesn't remove the MCAS as a thing students have to take or as a measure of performance of school districts, so I don't think it will help the state escape the pull of Goodheart's Law on that front or avoid "teaching to the test". But I still voted yes on the basis of my general antipathy for standardized testing and because the teachers seem to think it's a good idea.
Question 3 provides collective bargaining protections for rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) drivers who are currently denied those on the basis of "they're independent contractors, not employees". The details seem very complicated, but I voted yes, mostly on the basis of this argument.
Question 4 would legalize (in some contexts) and regulate certain psychadelic drugs. I voted yes because I think it's good on balance, but the details are complicated and this is the one I was least certain about.
Question 5 would remove the tipped minimum wage, phasing that up to the overall state minimum wage over five years. After that, it also allows employers to pool tips and distribute them to all employees (which currently tipped employees can do voluntarily, but their employers can't force them to). I think there are really good arguments against the practice of tipping, but this doesn't get anything to get rid of that. The main reason I voted no on this measure is that what I heard from restaurant employees on the subject was a lot of apprehension (or outright opposition) and not anything in the way of argument that it would actually improve their lives.
Somerville Question 6 was an additional city ballot measure to approve an increased surcharge on property taxes to provide funds (and secure matching funds) under the Community Preservation Act. I think Somerville gets a lot out of these investments and voted yes.
Question 1 is about enabling the current State Auditor's quest to audit the legislature. The legislature already publishes detailed financial disclosures. I was mostly persuaded by the Committee on Initiative Petition's arguments against in this case and voted no. (Though note they tend to oppose every ballot measure. Which makes sense, in that you'd expect them to be representative of the legislature as a whole, and if the legislature as a whole thought an initiative petition was a good idea, they'd just pass it themselves.)
Question 2 removes the MCAS (Massachusetts standardized tests) as a graduation requirement. It doesn't remove the MCAS as a thing students have to take or as a measure of performance of school districts, so I don't think it will help the state escape the pull of Goodheart's Law on that front or avoid "teaching to the test". But I still voted yes on the basis of my general antipathy for standardized testing and because the teachers seem to think it's a good idea.
Question 3 provides collective bargaining protections for rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.) drivers who are currently denied those on the basis of "they're independent contractors, not employees". The details seem very complicated, but I voted yes, mostly on the basis of this argument.
Question 4 would legalize (in some contexts) and regulate certain psychadelic drugs. I voted yes because I think it's good on balance, but the details are complicated and this is the one I was least certain about.
Question 5 would remove the tipped minimum wage, phasing that up to the overall state minimum wage over five years. After that, it also allows employers to pool tips and distribute them to all employees (which currently tipped employees can do voluntarily, but their employers can't force them to). I think there are really good arguments against the practice of tipping, but this doesn't get anything to get rid of that. The main reason I voted no on this measure is that what I heard from restaurant employees on the subject was a lot of apprehension (or outright opposition) and not anything in the way of argument that it would actually improve their lives.
Somerville Question 6 was an additional city ballot measure to approve an increased surcharge on property taxes to provide funds (and secure matching funds) under the Community Preservation Act. I think Somerville gets a lot out of these investments and voted yes.
