Massachusetts voters have approved a ballot question that would give the state auditor the authority to investigate the Legislature, while rejecting an effort to legalize psychedelic substances under certain circumstances.
Meanwhile, a ballot question giving app-based drivers the option to unionize remained too close to call late Wednesday morning.
Question 1, which gave the auditor investigative power, passed with the largest majority of all five questions statewide on this year’s ballot.
Now that more than 90% of the votes have been counted, according to the unofficial results, 71.5% voted yes and 28.5% voted no.
The state auditor, Diana DiZoglio, had campaigned hard on behalf of the ballot measure against opposition from fellow Democrats in the state legislative leadership.
“I believe in the power of government to do amazing things — to make life better for everyone, everywhere,” DiZoglio, a former state senator from Methuen, said in a statement Tuesday evening. “I have seen that power firsthand. but I have also seen the work that still needs to be done to build a state government that lives up to its values. Tonight’s victory is an opportunity for all of us to look ahead and work to make our Legislature better. transparency and accountability that a legislative audit would bring, not because of divisions or party political positions, but because of our great potential to move forward together.”
“I’m excited, it’s looking good,” DiZoglio said around 9 p.m., taking a moment to answer the question while attending Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s viewing party in South Boston. She was pleased that so many people across the political spectrum responded to her bid for greater transparency from the state government, to inspect spending patterns and contracts awarded by the state to suppliers. “This is a unique opportunity.”
Lawmakers say they are already undergoing audits from an outside firm, and that an investigation by the state auditor’s office would violate the state constitution’s separation of powers clause, since the auditor’s office falls under the executive branch in the state constitution.
“Consistent with how the Legislature has historically moved forward on each voter-approved ballot question, we will consider next steps regarding how we can best respect the election results of Question 1 in a manner that aligns with fundamental principles of the Massachusetts Constitution, including separation of powers,” House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Question 4, the issue of psychedelic substances, was opposed by 56.9% of voters, according to the unofficial results.
The initiative would have allowed residents 21 and older to possess and consume certain natural psychedelic substances – psilocybin (magic mushrooms), psilocyn, ibogaine, mescaline and DMT – in their homes or under the supervision of trained facilitators at licensed therapy centers. It would also have created a commission, similar to the Cannabis Control Commission, to oversee the licensing of facilitators and centers and the regulation and taxation of the substances.
Supporters, including some veteran advocates, said the substances could be useful in treating mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety and depression, as well as addiction. But many medical professionals warned that not enough research had been done to substantiate the medical benefits of psychedelic substances, and expressed concerns about their side effects.
Meanwhile, Question 3, on allowing app-based drivers to unionize, was the closest among the five statewide ballot questions. With more than 90% of the vote, 54% were in favor of approving the measure.
The voting question had no organized opposition.
With reporting from Telegram & Gazette writer Kinga Borondy and State House News Service.
Question 3 would allow rideshare workers to unionize; the question on 29% of the votes counted leaned towards yes, with 53% voting in favor and 47% against.
Question 4 would create a mental health treatment module for practitioners who use psychedelic or herbal medicines to treat mental illness; especially post-traumatic stress and substance use disorders. With 29% of the votes counted; the Massachusetts electorate voted 57% against the measure and 43% in favor.
On Question 1: Transparency in government was the rallying cry for DiZoglio when she ran for office in 2022; she lost no time in achieving that mission; launching an effort to control the legislature within months of his election to the position.
DiZoglio, who served in both branches of state government before being elected to constitutional office, planned to shine a light on the workings of both the Senate and House of Representatives. She has faced resistance from legislative leaders who have refused to participate in efforts to lift the lid.
Apparently, Massachusetts residents believe that lawmakers should be more transparent and that the workings of state government should be revealed.
While the question seemed to pass; she hesitated to declare victory.
In advocating her position, DiZoglio points to the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom that examines inequalities in government in the service of holding powerful interests accountable, according to its website. The Center gave the state government a D+ while rating states on the public’s ability to access information. The functioning of the state government was also considered among the least transparent in the country.
To question 3; it’s been a long road for Massachusetts taxi drivers working for app-based companies Lyft and Uber; With the results of Question 3 in, drivers can now form a union to negotiate for better working conditions.
More than 200,000 Massachusetts residents work as drivers; Many work part-time, for others it is their only source of income.
Now drivers have the opportunity to form a union and collectively bargain for better wages and better working conditions.
At the end of this election cycle, the ballot initiative faced little organized opposition. However, a competing voting initiative was launched by the app-based companies for the 2022 election cycle and again for this cycle.
That initiative came into question when Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell settled a lawsuit filed in 2020 by former AG Maura Healey that challenged the company’s classification of its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
The settlement failed to define drivers’ employment status, but did provide employment concessions to drivers, including a basic minimum wage paid while drivers were working on rates, as well as accrued paid sick leave, paid time off, and even access to health insurance benefits. and accident insurance.
The companies paid the state a combined $175 million in back wages that will be distributed to drivers across the commonwealth.
A court challenge derailed the first ballot initiative in 2022; while the second attempt launched immediately afterwards for this cycle was abandoned by the rideshare companies themselves. The issue of employment status is still up in the air in Massachusetts. At this time, drivers are still considered independent contractors, but there is now a path to union membership for them.
Massachusetts residents were about evenly split on Question 4 for most of the night; however, the proponents and backers of Question 4 issued a statement around 11 p.m
“We spoke to tens of thousands of voters in Massachusetts and heard broad agreement that natural psychedelics should be more accessible to those who can’t find relief through traditional medications and therapy,” said Aayush Bajpai, a demand advocate . “We understand that there were concerns about home growing facilities, and those concerns likely led to tonight’s outcome. But we have made tremendously important progress in this area of psychedelic therapy, and we will continue to fight to find new avenues for anyone struggling with their mental health. We look forward to working with lawmakers in the new session to continue advocating for access, for hope, and for healing.”
The ballot initiative would allow residents over the age of 21 to grow, possess and use certain psychedelic substances: psilocybin and psilocyn, both found in mushrooms; and dimethyltryptamine, mescaline and ibogaine, found in plants.
These substances would not be available for retail sale and could only be used commercially in a regulated and approved therapy setting. However, substances could, with restrictions, be grown at home and shared, bartered or traded, but never sold commercially.
In fact, the initiative called for the creation of a regulatory commission to oversee the development of the industry, create licensing requirements for therapists using the substances in treatment and regulate the taxation and distribution of the substances . The herbal medicines could only be used commercially in licensed and approved locations.
Proponents of the issue compared the issue to the legalization of cannabis in Massachusetts, and the ballot question calls for the creation of a commission similar to the one that oversees that industry.
Advocates touted the substances for their effectiveness, experts say, in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other mental health problems. Experts say it is a promising therapy that could benefit military veterans.
Proponents of Question 4 rallied in communities across the state to highlight the benefits for patients with mental health issues. In Boston, Bessel van der Klerk, a leading expert on PTSD and similar disorders, discussed the benefits of the substances.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Collection of MA voting questions: Legislative audit yes, psychedelics no
