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Part of the 2020 United States elections | ||
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Elections in Massachusetts |
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The 2020 Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 2020, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections were held on September 1, 2020. [1] [2]
At the federal level, all nine seats in the United States House of Representatives were contested. Also contested was the United States Senate seat held by Ed Markey. [3]
At the state level, all seats in the Massachusetts General Court (state legislature) were contested.
To vote by mail, registered Massachusetts voters had to request a ballot by October 30, 2020. [4] As of early October some 504,043 voters had requested mail ballots. [5] [6]
All seats in the State legislature, the General Court, were up for election.
Two ballot measures appeared on the 2020 ballot. Question 1 is concerned with access to an automobile's Mechanical data. It would force all automakers starting with model year 2022 to release all relevant mechanical data for any automobile sold in the state. Question 2 would establish a ranked choice voting system for most state and federal primaries and general elections. [7] [8]
As of April 2020, four measures (19-06, 19-10, 19-11, and 19-14) had achieved the required number of initial signatures and were pending in the Massachusetts General Court. The measures could be passed by the legislature before May 5, 2020, or if that failed to happen, petitioners were required collect an additional 13,347 signatures in support of each measure to be placed on the ballot. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of social distancing on in-person signature collection, a lawsuit to allow for electronic signatures in support of ballot initiatives was raised with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. [9] In late April, a court judgement to allow for electronic signatures was agreed to by Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin and supporters of the four measures. [10] In early July, supporters of two of the four measures (19-06 and 19-10) announced that they had submitted a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. Galvin certified both measures to appear on the 2020 ballot. [11] [12]
No. | Result | Description | Yes | No | Cit. | ||
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Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
1 | Yes | This proposed law would require that motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities be provided with expanded access to mechanical data related to vehicle maintenance and repair. | [13] | ||||
2 | No | Enacts Ranked-choice voting for state and federal elections other than president. | |||||
Several measures were not certified to circulate because they went against Massachusetts law on ballot measures. Others were cleared for circulation but did not collect enough initial signatures for the December 4, 2019 deadline. [14]
Despite reaching a sufficient number of signatures in the first round, supporters of two measures (19-11 and 19-14) failed to collect the necessary number of signatures in the second round. By early July both initiatives had "effectively dropped their 2020 efforts". [15]
William Francis Galvin is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The 2006 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 2006, throughout Massachusetts.
The State Income Tax Repeal, also known as Massachusetts Question 1, was one of the 2008 ballot measures that appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Voters were asked whether or not they approved of the proposed measure which, if it had passed, would have ended the 5.3% income tax in Massachusetts on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains. Ultimately, Massachusetts voters defeated Question 1 by a wide margin, with approximately 70% opposed versus 30% in favor.
The No Sales Tax for Alcohol Question, also known as Question 1, was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in Massachusetts. The measure asked voters whether to repeal a sales tax on alcohol sales. The ballot measure for the 2010 ballot was added after the Massachusetts State Legislature increased the sales tax in the state from 5% to 6.25% and eliminated an exemption for alcohol sold in liquor stores.
Massachusetts Question 3, filed under the name, the 3 percent Sales Tax Relief Act, appears on the November 2, 2010 ballot in the state of Massachusetts as an initiative. The measure, if enacted by voters, would reduce the state sales tax rate from 6.25 to 3 percent. The measure is being sponsored by the Alliance to Roll Back Taxes headed by Carla Howell. The measure would be enacted into a law 30 days after the election if approved by voters.
The Massachusetts "Right to Repair" Initiative (2012), also known as Question 1, appeared on the Massachusetts 2012 general election ballot as an initiated state statute. The Right to Repair proposal was to require vehicle owners and independent repair facilities in Massachusetts to have access to the same vehicle diagnostic and repair information made available to the manufacturers' Massachusetts dealers and authorized repair facilities. The initiative passed with overwhelming voter support on November 6, 2012, with 86% for and 14% against. The measure, originally filed four times with the Massachusetts Attorney General, was filed by Arthur W. Kinsman, and was assigned initiative numbers 11–17.
The Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative, appeared as the third question on the state's 2012 ballot as an indirect initiated state statute. The measure allows cannabis to be used for medical purposes in the state. The initiative—backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, and the Committee for Compassionate Medicine—was filed with proponents turning in the required signatures to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office by the August 3, 2011 deadline. Those signatures were needed for the required ten qualified voters who submitted the original petition to put forward the full text of the law they want enacted. The initiative passed with support from 63% of state voters.
The United Independent Party or UIP was a political party based in Massachusetts, United States. The chairman of the UIP was Evan Falchuk, a former health care executive who submitted enough signatures to be on the 2014 gubernatorial ballot. When the party and Falchuk announced their intention to run in 2014, it billed itself as pragmatically progressive and fiscally sensible.
An Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals, more commonly known as Question 3, was the third initiative on the 2016 Massachusetts ballot. The measure requires Massachusetts farmers to give chickens, pigs, and calves enough room to turn around, stand up, lie down, and fully extend their limbs. It also prohibits the sale of eggs or meat from animals raised in conditions that did not meet these standards.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, there are three recognized political parties and an additional 29 political designations in which registered voters may choose to enroll. Voters may also choose to remain as "unenrolled voters". Political parties hold primary elections, while political designations do not. A political designation is a one-to-three word descriptive term which may appear next to candidates' names on election ballots.
The 2018 Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 2018, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 4. Early voting took place from October 22 through November 2.
Three ballot measures were certified for the November 6, 2018, general election in the state of Massachusetts.
Two ballot measures were certified for the November 3, 2020, general election in the state of Massachusetts. Multiple other ballot measures that were initiated by supporters did not meet requirements, thus will not appear on the ballot.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 12th Suffolk district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Milton in Norfolk County and part of Boston in Suffolk County. Democrat Brandy Fluker Oakley of Dorchester has represented the district since 2020.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 5th Hampden district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers the city of Holyoke in Hampden County. Democrat Aaron Vega of Holyoke has represented the district since 2013. Candidates for this district seat in the 2020 Massachusetts general election include Patrick Beaudry and Patricia Duffy.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 6th Norfolk district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Norfolk County. Democrat William Galvin of Canton has represented the district since 1991.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 14th Suffolk district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers parts of Boston in Suffolk County. Democrat Angelo M. Scaccia has represented the district since 1995. Candidates for this district seat in the 2020 Massachusetts general election include Gretchen Van Ness.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 31st Middlesex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers Stoneham and Winchester in Middlesex County. Since 2015, Michael Seamus Day of the Democratic Party has represented the district.
Massachusetts Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative, also known as Question 2, was an initiative at the 2020 Massachusetts general election that would have changed primaries and elections in Massachusetts from plurality voting to ranked-choice voting (RCV) for all Massachusetts statewide offices, state legislative offices, federal congressional offices, and certain other offices beginning in 2022. RCV would not be extended to elections for president, county commissioner, or regional district school committee member. The initiative failed, with 54.8% of voters voting 'No' and 45.2% 'Yes'.
The 192nd Massachusetts General Court was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government of Massachusetts. It consisted of elected members of the Senate and House of Representatives. It first convened in Boston at the Massachusetts State House on January 6, 2021, during the governorship of Charlie Baker. The 192nd term ended in early 2023. Will Brownsberger, Michael Moran, and Dan Hunt oversaw decennial redistricting based on the 2020 census.
Detailed state statistics
Two-thirds of lawmakers face no challengers at all
Challengers defeated incumbents in key Democratic primaries, reshaping Beacon Hill
2020
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020