In less than a month, Massachusetts voters will vote on a range of issues from psychedelic drug legalization to rideshare unions in the form of ballot questions. Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis, engaged Tufts students and community members in a discussion about this year’s state ballot initiatives during an event on Oct. 9.
The cSPA, led by Horowitz since its founding in 2020, has been committed to helping “citizens understand — and productively debate — the stakes of new laws and ballot initiatives,” according to their mission statement. With Massachusetts having five ballot questions to tackle, which is the most since the cSPA’s founding, it has been a particularly busy year for Horowitz. He noted that more ballot questions mean more research required on the part of voters.
“I would like less work for voters,” he told the Daily in an interview. “It’s also a busy year where there isn’t a standout question. Very often, there’s one question that everybody’s talking about, and there isn’t really a question like that this year, where the level of impact is dramatically bigger than another.”
The cSPA released one-page summaries of the ballot questions with arguments for and against on their website, in addition to linking the full six- or seven-page report for each question.
After the multi-year process of potential questions reaching final status on the ballot, this year’s ballot questions focus on the state auditor’s power to oversee the legislature, the elimination of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System as a state graduation requirement, rideshare drivers forming unions, the legalization of psychedelic drugs and an increased minimum wage for tipped workers.
During the event, Horowitz summarized findings from the cSPA reports for each question and allowed the audience to ask questions for a few minutes at the end of each summary.
Horowitz explained that the first question is the most likely to pass and that there are no official opponents to the question; a recent WBUR poll found only 8% opposition to the state auditor question. If passed, the law would expand the state auditor’s purview to oversee the legislative branch, in addition to the executive branch.
The auditor’s role is to conduct performance audits on executive agencies to ensure they follow the correct protocols and procedures. Currently, the auditor can request records from any executive agency but has no purview over legislative matters.
Horowitz noted, however, that having an expanded auditor’s purview could result in “gridlock.”
“You could imagine a situation where this passes … [and] the auditor exercises terms of authority, the courts get involved, legislature refuses and you have a very public standoff. It’s not clear what the benefits of that are,” he explained during the event.
While the second question is about the MCAS test on one level, according to Horowitz, it is primarily about whether the state should be involved in the process of vetting individual public school students for graduation. If passed, the law would give responsibility to individual districts to certify that their graduation requirements meet state standards.
While there are less than 1% of graduating students each year that meet district requirements but not state requirements, Hororiwtz said that there are strong arguments in favor of the question.
“There are definitely kids with particular cognitive disabilities [or] limited English who are struggling to get through the test, even though they’re meeting all of the district requirements,” Horowitz said. “And for them, I think you hear the strongest arguments for: This test is getting in the way of their successful transition to adulthood.”
Teachers unions say that without the MCAS they would be able to teach more effectively to specific students, but some business groups are worried that, without standards, individual districts would be able to raise graduation rates to make their schools look very appealing. Horowitz expressed uncertainty about whether the measure will pass since polls are near the 50% mark.
Question three centers on whether gig workers can unionize, and it could set a precedent for sector-based bargaining in other states. However, since the proposed law would require only 12.5% of gig workers to approve a union, it could result in a relatively unpopular union with low support among drivers. Horowitz stated that there has been no polling for this question, leaving it up to Election Day to reveal what will happen.
Question four is a lengthy measure that would allow the limited legalization of certain psychedelic drugs and lead to controlled-use facilities starting on Dec. 15 of this year. The concerns about the measure surround the potential dangers of drugs like ibogaine, which has been known to cause acute cardiac problems. Horowitz has noticed polling around 50% for question four, leaving whether psychedelics will soon be legal at the state level still up in the air.
Question five would require tipped employees to be paid the full $15, compared to the $6.75 minimum, by their employers in a five-year phase-out. Horowitz made it clear that tipped workers still make $15 per hour, which restaurants have to cover if tips do not add to $8.75 per hour. If passed, an increase in service fees is likely to be seen, resulting in fewer tips on top of service fees from customers. Horowitz ranked this as the second most likely question to pass at the end of his presentation.
The complexities and small details of these questions can often confuse voters, making it difficult to choose a side on the issues. That’s where the cSPA seeks to make a difference.
“I think their research [is fantastic],” Sue Grodberg, senior project coordinator for the Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, told the Daily after the event. “I still don’t feel like I have enough information. I could ask questions endlessly … but it was very helpful.”
