Boston Herald

The state’s top elections official has given the green light to four proposed questions for the November ballot in Massachusetts.
 
Secretary of State William Galvin announced Wednesday that he has informed the House Clerk all four initiative petitions have more than the 68,911 certified signatures of registered voters needed to proceed.

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A ballot campaign to gut a cornerstone of the 2006 health care law signed by Gov. Mitt Romney has generated little out-of-state interest despite the potential national implications of the effort, a top organizer said Thursday. Bridget Fay, treasurer of the campaign to repeal the state’s requirement that residents obtain health insurance – a move that backers say would lead to the unraveling of the entire law – said supporters have collected about 10,000 signatures since early September. Ballot laws require the collection of 69,900 certified voter signatures by Nov. 23 in order to proceed, and successful organizers typically collect 100,000 signatures or more in order to guard against challenges.

Activists pushing a slew of potential ballot questions are racing to file voter signatures with local city and town clerks. Wednesday is the deadline for activists to submit tens of thousands of signatures in support of their initiatives. Once those signatures are certified at the local level, activists have until Dec. 2 to deliver them to Sec. of State William Galvin’s office.

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Attorney General Martha Coakley gave the initial go ahead to 23 ballot initiatives today, including a push to eliminate tolls in the Bay State. Coakely reviewed 30 petitions to see if they passed constitutional muster, and now those hoping to get the questions on a ballot must collect nearly 66,600 signatures of registered voters. “After a complete and thorough review by our office, we have concluded that most of these initiative petitions have met the requirements posed in the state’s Constitution,” Coakley said in a statement.

A ballot question that would reduce the sales tax to 3 percent is expected to be approved by the state attorney general today. “Taxes in Massachusetts are a back-breaking burden on workers, businesses that provide jobs and our families,” said Carla Howell charwoman of the Alliance to Roll Back Taxes, the group sponsoring the initiative. “Our tax roll back is designed to relieve the tax burden shouldered by 3.4 million workers.”

Citizens for Limited Taxation, which has been involved in numerous ballot referendum efforts, called on lawmakers Wednesday to kill three bills that the group says will make it harder for activists to put questions before voters.

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Citizens for Limited Taxation, which has been involved in numerous ballot referendum efforts, called on lawmakers Wednesday to kill three bills that the group says will make it harder for activists to put questions before voters.

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