Massachusetts Voters Approve Ballot Measure Increasing Oversight Over State Legislature

Massachusetts residents voted to expand the state auditor’s power to investigate the state legislature, delivering a resounding endorsement of Ballot Question 1, according to the Associated Press.

The State House, whose operations remain largely opaque to the public, has attracted increasing scrutiny from many residents who feel it has remained dysfunctional and unaccountable for too long. About 71 percent of voters approved the ballot measure, according to the AP, which called the race just before midnight with 58 percent of votes reported.

Massachusetts is currently the only state where the legislature claims full exemption from the public records law, keeping almost all of its internal operations barred from the public. The legislature has delivered the state budget late for the past 14 years, and left a slew of bills untouched after the last executive session, raising concern across voters.

Frustration with the legislature manifested acutely in Cambridge in September, as voters nearly unseated State Rep. Marjorie C. Decker in favor of Harvard graduate student and labor leader Evan C. MacKay ’19, a progressive challenger who charged Decker with upholding the status quo on Beacon Hill. Decker won by only 41 votes.

While opposition to the ballot measure argued that it would give the state auditor too much power, proponents of the bill emphasized that it would begin to provide the public with transparency in the state government.

As of just past midnight Wednesday, “yes” votes were leading on ballot measures to eliminate the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System graduate requirement and allow rideshare drivers to unionize, while “no” votes led on measures to legalize psychedelics and raise the minimum wage for tipped employees.

None of the other races have been called by the AP.

—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart or on Threads @laurel.shugart.