Andrea Campbell’s certification was the first major step, but more hurdles remain before these questions can be put before voters next fall.
After about a month of deliberation, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Wednesday that her office had certified a slew of ballot questions, including one about eliminating the MCAS test scoring as a graduation requirement for students and another about undoing the state’s ban on rent control.
Proponents have been waiting to see if Campbell’s green light would come through, allowing them to take the next steps toward adding their questions to ballots in the fall of 2024. Now, those behind the proposed laws must gather just short of 75,000 voter signatures by Dec. 6. If that hurdle is cleared, the ballot questions would need to be reviewed by the Legislature beginning in January. More than 12,000 additional signatures would then be required by early July.
Other notable questions certified by Campbell include one that would allow State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the Legislature, and others that concern how app-based rideshare and delivery drivers are classified.
Of the 42 initiative petitions that Campbell’s office reviewed, 34 were certified, meaning that they met certain constitutional requirements.
