‘Yes’ on 1 and more results for the 2024 Massachusetts ballot questions

Shortly after noon Wednesday, the last of the five Massachusetts ballot questions was called by the Associated Press.

On Question 1, voters opted to grant the state auditor the power to audit the state Legislature.

On Question 2, voters said “yes” to eliminating the MCAS exam as a standard graduation requirement for Massachusetts students.

On Question 3, voters supported allowing drivers at companies like Uber and Lyft the option to unionize.

On Question 4, voters elected to keep psychedelic substances illegal throughout the state.

On Question 5, voters decided against increasing the state’s tipped wage.

Question 1

Massachusetts voters decidedly asked for more transparency in the state’s notoriously opaque legislative process Tuesday. With more than half of votes counted, the campaign to let the state auditor audit the Legislature led with 71% of the vote late Tuesday night. 

Question 1 gives the state auditor — who is currently Diana DiZoglio — the ability to audit the state Legislature. The auditor has the ability to audit every other state entity, but the Legislature has refused to be audited. State Attorney General Andrea Campbell ruled last year that, under current law, DiZoglio can’t audit the Legislature without its consent. So DiZoglio set about to change the law here, and she’s succeeded.

DiZoglio is a former state lawmaker herself, and she campaigned on this issue when she was running for auditor. She addressed supporters Tuesday evening, telling them when they come together, there’s power there.

“Power to demand access, transparency, equity and accountability from our government,” she said. “Power to know how our taxpayer money is being spent by those we elect to represent us. Power to ensure that the sunshine is beaming throughout every hall of state government.”

State lawmakers have argued that, since the auditor is an executive branch official, allowing her to conduct an audit without the Legislature’s consent would violate the separation of powers.

It looks like voters weren’t too worried about that. But even with the passage of this ballot question, this is an issue that experts say could still wind up in court.

Professor Jeremy Paul of the Northeastern University School of Law said Tuesday night that the state auditor plans to go far beyond just checking the books, to examine internal deliberations of the legislature like how it was decided who was going to serve on certain committees.

“And the concern that I have about it — and ultimately I think it’s going to end up in the courts – is that when you put an independent official over and above the legislature, they’re going to be looking over their shoulder. ‘If I do something that the auditor doesn’t like, she’s suddenly going to come down on me with a massive document request and interfere with my ability to do my job.’”

Question 2

The campaign behind ballot question 2 to eliminate the tenth-grade MCAS exam as a graduation requirement was approved by voters early Wednesday morning. Massachusetts is now one of the few states without a common graduation standard.

Massachusetts Teachers Association Vice President Deb McCarthy addressed supporters Tuesday night ahead of the union’s victory.

“We are committed to defend our win and we are not going to let anybody take it away from us. The people have spoken and we are going to be united, protecting the winning question two.”

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page says the union’s members, volunteers and their canvassing efforts are to thank for the win.

“Think about where it started last summer, and then gathering an unprecedented number of signatures, 130,000 in the fall, another 40,000 in the spring. Incredible, incredible sign of the support. And now we’re seeing it in the way people are voting.”

The change means that school districts across the state can now set their own criteria for graduation.

Page says the measure will go into effect immediately. This means that passing the MCAS will not be a graduation requirement for high school students this spring.

Question 3

With 53.9% in favor and 46.1% opposed, the Associated Press called the Question 3 race just after noon on Wednesday.

The passage of Question 3 makes Massachusetts the first state in the nation to allow drivers who work for companies like Uber and Lyft the option to join a union.

“All this does is give them the same rights as every other worker,” Manny Pastreich, president of the union SEIU Local 32BJ, said Tuesday night as the votes were still being counted. “The same right as construction workers or hospital workers or janitors, in giving them the right to form a union. The right for them to stand together with one voice against these multibillion dollar corporations.”

Cletus Awah was also at the election results watch event Tuesday evening, and said over the six years he’s been driving with Uber and Lyft, he’s done about 25,000 rides total. He said he hopes a union will be able to negotiate better working conditions.

“It’ll give me more balance in my life because currently I don’t rest,” Awah said. “I don’t go to church anymore, just because I have to work so many hours to be able to pay my rent. Costs of everything in Massachusetts has skyrocketed, except salaries. ”One of the arguments against the ballot question has been that it could lead to higher prices for riders.

Uber did not formally oppose Question 3, but a spokesperson for the company said in a statement: “In a deeply blue, pro-union state, with millions spent promoting the ballot proposition and not a single dollar opposing, Question 3 just squeaked by. It’s clear that voters have reservations and it’s now incumbent upon the legislature to address their concerns.” 

Question 4

The campaign behind ballot question 4 to legalize psychedelic substances conceded defeat Tuesday night, and the Associated Press called the race early Wednesday.

“We spoke to tens of thousands of Massachusetts voters and heard broad agreement that natural psychedelics should be more accessible to those who cannot find relief through traditional medication and therapy,” Aayush Bajpai of the “Yes on 4” campaign wrote in a statement Tuesday. “[W]e have made hugely important strides on this issue of psychedelic therapy, and we will keep fighting to find new pathways for all those who struggle with their mental health.”

Imani Turnbull Brown said regardless of how other efforts move forward, she hopes the leaders of the psychedelics movement will consider factors like racial history and culture.

“We’re still continuing on with where we want to do, which is education, harm reduction, all of those things for marginalized groups,” she said. “We just want to make sure that people are going to be informed.”

Question 5

Opponents of a statewide ballot measure to raise minimum wage for tipped workers in Massachusetts have declared victory. With more than 70% of votes counted, the Associated Press called the race for the “no” side at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday.

The proposal would have gradually raised the minimum wage of tipped workers in the commonwealth from the current rate of $6.75 an hour to the regular minimum wage of $15. With the “no” win, the state’s tipped wage will remain $6.75 an hour.

“We keep the power in the hands of individual servers and bartenders who work tirelessly day after day to service guests across the Commonwealth to the best of their abilities,” Nancy Caswell, treasurer of Massachusetts Restaurants United, said in a statement.

Steven Rosario, who has worked in the service industry for half a decade, campaigned for a “yes” vote. Despite the loss, he says their fight isn’t over.

“I mean, we try again,” Rosario said. “We’re not giving up. Even if it’s 10 years, 20 years after, we’re still going to try, and it doesn’t stop here.”

The measure faced staunch opposition from restaurants who argued that raising the minimum wage would hurt businesses and could lead to closures.

Saru Jayaraman is the co-founder and president of One Fair Wage, which organized the “Yes on 5” campaign. She said even with the measure failing, she’s proud of the work her group did to raise awareness about the sub-minimum wage tipped workers are paid.

“What this campaign did, regardless of tonight’s outcome, is that it actually elevated the issue so that so many people in Massachusetts are aware that there is a sub-minimum wage,” she said. “The opposition poured millions of dollars into spreading misinformation as they always do, but they actually kind of helped us, because in many ways it was millions of dollars of free advertising to let people in Massachusetts know there is this issue.”

Prior reporting by GBH News’ Meghan Smith was used in this story.