Massachusetts residents voted yes on Question 4, maintaining a law allowing undocumented immigrants to qualify for driver’s licenses.
The results of all four ballot questions that voters in Massachusetts were tasked with approving or rejecting have been projected.
Hot-button questions 1 and 4, which respectively would impose a 4% surtax on annual personal income above $1 million and asked voters if they wanted to keep a new law that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for Massachusetts driver's licenses, have passed, The Associated Press projected. The agency also said that voters approved Question 2, the ballot measure relating to dental insurance, and rejected Question 3, which would have expanded the accessibility of alcohol licenses.
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2022 Massachusetts Election Results: See Who Won Each Race
Secretary of State William Galvin said Monday that voters were coming to the polls by-and-large for the ballot questions, in an election where the governor and other statewide races generated low interest.
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Here is a primer and updated vote counts for all four ballot proposals:
Question 1: Fair Share Amendment or Millionaire's Tax
With more than 90% of the vote in, The Associated Press projected that this year's first ballot question — which commonly goes by two names: the "Fair Share Amendment" or the "Millionaire's Tax" — had passed.
The measure, which will amend the Massachusetts Constitution, would put an extra 4% tax on any state resident's personal income over $1 million.
For example, if you had personal income of $1.5 million, the first million would be taxed at the current rate of 5%, or $50,000. The additional $500,000 would be taxed at 9%, or $45,000, and, if the law passed, you would pay $20,000 more. The projected $1.5 billion raised by the new taxes would be targeted for education and transportation.
The proposal was being pushed by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of labor unions, community organizations and religious groups.
It was challenged by a business group and others who said that the question’s wording, that revenues raised by the surtax would be spent of education and transportation, is “completely misleading.” But the highest court in Massachusetts ruled that the wording is legal, allowing it to go before voters in November.
"We’ve done what some thought was impossible: passed the Fair Share Amendment to create a permanently fairer tax system and deliver billions of dollars in new revenue for our public schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and transit systems," Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign manager Jeron Mariani said in a statement.
Question 2: Regulation of Dental Insurance
The second ballot question would force insurers to spend at least 83% of revenue from premiums on patient care or provide refunds. There is currently no minimum threshold written in state law. The sweeping change could serve as a model for reform in other states and, according to The Boston Globe, upend the industry nationwide.
The effort is being spearheaded by Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah, an orthodontist who has spent over $1 million on the initiative, campaign finance records show. Dozens of other dentists have since contributed to the cause. The opposition is being primarily funded by Boston-based nonprofit insurer Delta Dental, as well as a few other insurers, the Globe reported.
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Detractors argue that the question will hurt consumers, not benefit them, because the cost of insurance premiums would rise. But proponents of the measure note that a section of the proposed law specifically bars increases above the consumer price index without state approval.
The Yes on 2 campaign released a press release around 11 p.m. claiming a "decisive, landmark victory" for the initiative.
"Together, we put patients first over profits," said Meredith Bailey, president of the Massachusetts Dental Society. "Dental patients deserve the same consumer protections as medical patients, and we are hopeful that the better dental benefits that the people of Massachusetts will soon experience will spread to patients across the country."
Question 3: Expanding Alcohol License Availability
The third ballot question would double the amount of liquor licenses any company or individual can hold to 18. Seven of those licenses would allow the sale of all liquor and spirits, the rest would allow the sale of beer and wine.
The 21st Century Alcohol Retail Reform Committee, which includes many members of the Massachusetts Package Store Association, launched the Yes On 3 campaign. The expansion could cut into the business of some local package stores, but MPSA Executive Director Robert Mellion last year pitched the ballot question as an "olive branch" to the food and convenience store groups that, in the past, fought to get permission for an unlimited number of beer and wine licenses.
In addition to expanding license limits, the question would also prohibit purchase of alcohol at self-checkout stations and allow a seller to rely upon an out-of-state ID as part of a "reasonable defense" against allegations of selling to a minor.
Question 4: Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants
The fourth ballot question asked voters if the state should keep or repeal its new law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses beginning next year.
Under the new law, people in the country without legal status would be able to apply for a driver’s license starting July 1, 2023 if they could provide the Registry of Motor Vehicles with a foreign passport or consular identification document. They would also have to provide one of five additional documents: a driver’s license from another U.S. state or territory, a birth certificate, a foreign national identification card, a foreign driver’s license or a marriage certificate or divorce decree from any U.S. state or territory.
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The bill passed into law this year over Gov. Charlie Baker's veto, but it has continued to spark debate. Baker, in his veto letter to lawmakers, argued the new law "increases the risk that noncitizens will be registered to vote," fears that supporters say are overblown in part because those using the licenses to register to vote could end up facing deportation. Proponents argue that the policy enhances road safety by ensuring that drivers pass a driving test, have insurance and a license.
A transportation secretary from the Dukakis administration, the Massachusetts Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association and Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian are among the public figures working to convince voters to keep the law in place. The push to repeal the new law through November's ballot question is being led in large part by the state Republican Party.
The campaign in favor of passing the ballot question was "feeling really good" Tuesday night, spokesperson Nicole Caravella said.
"We have put together hundreds of volunteers throughout this campaign. We knocked over 30,000 doors, and we're seeing really positive results across the commonwealth right now. So we're feeling good. We're still anxiously awaiting the final result, but we're in a good place right now," she added.
More Massachusetts Election Coverage
State House News service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
