What you should know about the 2024 ballot questions in Massachusetts

BOSTON — This fall, Massachusetts voters will face the largest number of statewide ballot questions in years, many of which involve complex issues.

Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, delved into the details of the questions and provided an introduction with Keller @ Large.

Massachusetts Ballot Question 1 – Comptroller’s Office

Regarding question 1: Expansion of the powers of the state auditor check the legislatureHorowitz said the passage “is unlikely to authorize the comptroller to oversee the things that matter to people in the Legislature, their votes, their committee assignments. She will not have that authority. The courts probably won't give it to her, and that.” The legislature will fight back. So I think a yes vote is not a vote for this power.

Massachusetts Ballot Question 2 – MCAS

A “yes” vote on Question 2 would eliminate Massachusetts’ only statewide graduation requirement, which requires students to pass MCAS test up to 10th grade. The students would still take that MCASbut each district would set its own standards for graduation.

“This is really a question for voters about who should have the power to decide who gets to graduate from high school. Should they be districts? Or should the state play a role and say we need to opt out because we have over 300 districts in the state, (and) if everyone has their own standards, that's not a standard,” Horowitz said.

“I think there are good arguments on both sides. The teachers union supporting the question says it can give teachers more freedom and tailor their coursework to the students who need it. The business groups that are doing this are really on the no side and saying we don't want to become a state with a fragmented education system,” Horowitz added. “We want to set high standards across the state. If you vote yes here, you will undermine these efforts. “Certainly MCAS has been part of education reform that has received national recognition, and we have some of the best schools in the country.” Many people credit MCAS with at least some of that success. While it is also true that most states have common standards, they usually do not have a test, but usually a series of curricula or coursework that appear to compete. So we’re kind of an outlier and we’re really relying on one test to set the state’s common standard.”

Massachusetts Ballot Question 3 – Rideshare Drivers

Question 3 here would enable so-called sector-based negotiations, in which rideshare drivers using platforms like Lyft and Uber could collectively negotiate better wages and benefits that would then apply industry-wide.

“Drivers cannot form unions in the traditional way because they are not considered employees, but rather independent contractors,” Horowitz said.

The ballot question would require the state to “enact a full range of regulations.”

“Let’s allow the industry-based system where drivers negotiate with all companies at the same time and set rules for the entire industry,” Horowitz said. “The big problem will be that business interests won’t like it. If it goes through this again, you're likely to see significant challenges, not just from rideshare companies, but perhaps from the Chamber of Commerce and national business interests because it would be the case.” This is the first nationwide attempt to set up such a system, and it could be expanded to other states and other industries.

Massachusetts Ballot Question 4 – Psychedelics

A yes vote on Question 4 would legalize and regulate the use of some of these items psychedelic drugs for both licensed mental health professionals and individuals looking to build their own business.

Horowitz says this would “create a new class of people, moderators, who will monitor consumption, which will be separate from the medical system. And it needs to be separate from the medical system because these drugs are illegal at the federal level. They will remain illegal.” So there is always the possibility of federal action. The drugs we are talking about can have very serious effects on the heart and nerves.

Massachusetts Ballot Question 5 – Tips for Workers' Wages

And Question 5 would phase out the current minimum wage Tipped workerslike waiters and bartenders, instead receive and require employers to pay these workers the full minimum wage.

“If you are a tipped worker, you work in a restaurant, you are already entitled to the full minimum wage,” Horowitz said. “They get paid $15 an hour, it’s just a question of who pays them. Right now, employers can only pay $675 as long as you earn the other $8.25 in tips. So the tips go towards the minimum wage.” And if you don’t get enough tips, the employer has to pay for it. Our research suggests that workers in other places that require these tips-covering laws tend to earn slightly more, putting a strain on restaurants and other businesses that they want to counter with higher prices and service fees.”