It’s finally Election Day!!!
This year’s ballot questions have the possibility to greatly impact the safety and equity of life in Massachusetts.
Whether that impact will be positive or negative is up to your YES votes.
Below is an explanation of why we have endorsed YES on Questions 1, 2, and 4 (and for those select districts, 5 and 6). Please share these resources with your family, friends and neighbors and help us promote progressive policy.
YES ON 1: Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation.
We know that there are lots of questions about how the tax will be implemented and spent. The Fair Share FAQ website has factual, easy to understand answers, including in the extremely rare instances where it will apply to the sale of houses and businesses.
YES on 2: Better Dental Care
In Massachusetts, we have a law that requires medical insurance plans to spend at least 88% of all premiums on health care or efforts to improve the quality of health care delivery. However, no such requirement exists for dental insurance. If Question 2 passes, a minimum of 83% of your premium would have to be spent on care, rather than profit, and strengthen financial transparency of dental insurance companies.
To learn how a Yes vote on Question 2 will require more patient dollars to be spent on patient care check out the Yes on 2 website FAQ.
YES on 4: Safer Roads
A YES on 4 would uphold the Work & Family Mobility Act, a bill passed by 75% of the MA Legislature that would allow qualified drivers – regardless of immigration status – to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license and legally drive in Massachusetts. By voting YES ON 4, Massachusetts voters will ensure that immigrants without status can legally make essential trips, like dropping off kids at school and getting to work, while promoting road safety for all of us.
Learn more about the positive impact similar legislation has made in other states and why it should stay law by visiting the Safer Roads MA FAQ site.
Wait, Is There a Q5 or a Q6, too?
In select state representative districts, there are non-binding advisory questions as well, and if you see them on your ballot, we recommend voting YES on these questions also:
- YES on 5, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support legislation to create a single payer health care system in Massachusetts so that we finally treat health care as a right, not a privilege.
- YES on 6, which would instruct the district’s state representative to support a change to the MA House’s rules enabling all legislative committees’ votes to be public, posted online as they are in most other states.
Both are clear and simple; and lots of YES votes send a strong message to your state representative.
Some final voting reminders…
- If you’re voting in person–find your polling location here! Polls close at 8 pm.
- If you haven’t mailed in your ballot yet then unfortunately it is not guaranteed that it will be counted in time. We highly encourage you to vote in person instead.
- If you already mailed your ballot, use the track my ballot site to make sure it was accepted. If it was rejected (perhaps missing a signature), you can vote in person today.
If you have any questions about the ballot questions or making your vote count, please feel free to respond to this email- we are here to help!
