Section 1. Article XLVIII of the amendments to the constitution
is hereby amended by striking out section three, under the
heading "THE INITIATIVE. III. Initiative
Petitions. ", and inserting in place thereof the
following: -
Section 3. Mode of Originating. -
Such petition shall first be signed by ten qualified voters of
the commonwealth and shall be submitted to the attorney-general
not later than the first Wednesday of the August before the
assembling of the general court into which it is to be
introduced, and if he shall certify that the measure and the
title thereof are in proper form for submission to the people,
and that the measure is not, either affirmatively or
negatively, substantially the same as any measure which has
been qualified for submission or submitted to the people at
either of the two preceding biennial state elections, and that
it contains only subjects not excluded from the popular
initiative and which are related or which are mutually
dependent, it may then be filed with the secretary of the
commonwealth. The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide
blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at
the top of each blank a fair, concise summary, as determined by
the attorney-general, of the proposed measure as such summary
will appear on the ballot together with the names and
residences of the first ten signers. All initiative petitions,
with the first ten signatures attached, shall be filed with the
secretary of the commonwealth not earlier than the first
Wednesday of the September before the assembling of the general
court into which they are to be introduced, and the remainder
of the required signatures shall be filed not later than the
first Wednesday of the following December.
Section 2. Section three of that part of
said Article XLVIII , under the
heading " THE REFERENDUM . III. Referendum Petitions. ", is hereby amended by
striking out the words "The secretary of the commonwealth
shall provide blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and
shall print at the top of each blank a description of the
proposed law as such description will appear on the ballot
together with the names and residences of the first ten
signers.", and inserting in place thereof the words
"The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide blanks
for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at the top
of each blank a fair, concise summary of the proposed law as
such summary will appear on the ballot together with the names
and residences of the first ten signers."
Section 3. Section four of that part of
said Article XLVIII under the
heading " THE REFERENDUM . III. Referendum Petitions. ", is hereby amended by
striking out the words "The secretary of the commonwealth
shall provide blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and
shall print at the top of each blank a description of the
proposed law as such description will appear on the ballot
together with the names and residences of the first ten
signers.", and inserting in place thereof the words
"The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide blanks
for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at the top
of each blank a fair, concise summary of the proposed law as
such summary will appear on the ballot together with the names
and residences of the first ten signers."
Section 4. Said Article XLVIII is hereby further amended by striking
out, under the heading "GENERAL PROVISIONS", all of
subheading " III. Form of Ballot. " and all of
subheading " IV. Information for Voters. ",
and inserting in place thereof the following:--
III. Form of Ballot.
A fair, concise summary, as determined by the attorney
general, subject to such provision as may be made by law, of
each proposed amendment to the constitution, and each law
submitted to the people, shall be printed on the ballot, and
the secretary of the commonwealth shall give each question a
number and cause such question, except as otherwise authorized
herein, to be printed on the ballot in the following
form:--
In the case of an amendment to the constitution: Do you
approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution
summarized below, (here state, in distinctive type, whether
approved or disapproved by the general court, and by what vote
thereon)?
[Set forth summary here]
In the case of a law: Do you approve of a law summarized
below, (here state, in distinctive type, whether approved or
disapproved by the general court, and by what vote
thereon)?
[Set forth summary here]
IV. Information for Voters.
The secretary of the commonwealth shall cause to be printed
and sent to each registered voter in the commonwealth the full
text of every measure to be submitted to the people, together
with a copy of the
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Section 1. Article XLVIII of the amendments to the constitution
is hereby amended by striking out section three, under the
heading "THE INITIATIVE. III. Initiative
Petitions. ", and inserting in place thereof the
following: -
Section 3. Mode of Originating. -
Such petition shall first be signed by ten qualified voters of
the commonwealth and shall be submitted to the attorney-general
not later than the first Wednesday of the August before the
assembling of the general court into which it is to be
introduced, and if he shall certify that the measure and the
title thereof are in proper form for submission to the people,
and that the measure is not, either affirmatively or
negatively, substantially the same as any measure which has
been qualified for submission or submitted to the people at
either of the two preceding biennial state elections, and that
it contains only subjects not excluded from the popular
initiative and which are related or which are mutually
dependent, it may then be filed with the secretary of the
commonwealth. The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide
blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at
the top of each blank a fair, concise summary, as determined by
the attorney-general, of the proposed measure as such summary
will appear on the ballot together with the names and
residences of the first ten signers. All initiative petitions,
with the first ten signatures attached, shall be filed with the
secretary of the commonwealth not earlier than the first
Wednesday of the September before the assembling of the general
court into which they are to be introduced, and the remainder
of the required signatures shall be filed not later than the
first Wednesday of the following December.
Section 2. Section three of that part of
said Article XLVIII , under the
heading " THE REFERENDUM . III. Referendum Petitions. ", is hereby amended by
striking out the words "The secretary of the commonwealth
shall provide blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and
shall print at the top of each blank a description of the
proposed law as such description will appear on the ballot
together with the names and residences of the first ten
signers.", and inserting in place thereof the words
"The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide blanks
for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at the top
of each blank a fair, concise summary of the proposed law as
such summary will appear on the ballot together with the names
and residences of the first ten signers."
Section 3. Section four of that part of
said Article XLVIII under the
heading " THE REFERENDUM . III. Referendum Petitions. ", is hereby amended by
striking out the words "The secretary of the commonwealth
shall provide blanks for the use of subsequent signers, and
shall print at the top of each blank a description of the
proposed law as such description will appear on the ballot
together with the names and residences of the first ten
signers.", and inserting in place thereof the words
"The secretary of the commonwealth shall provide blanks
for the use of subsequent signers, and shall print at the top
of each blank a fair, concise summary of the proposed law as
such summary will appear on the ballot together with the names
and residences of the first ten signers."
Section 4. Said Article XLVIII is hereby further amended by striking
out, under the heading "GENERAL PROVISIONS", all of
subheading " III. Form of Ballot. " and all of
subheading " IV. Information for Voters. ",
and inserting in place thereof the following:--
III. Form of Ballot.
A fair, concise summary, as determined by the attorney
general, subject to such provision as may be made by law, of
each proposed amendment to the constitution, and each law
submitted to the people, shall be printed on the ballot, and
the secretary of the commonwealth shall give each question a
number and cause such question, except as otherwise authorized
herein, to be printed on the ballot in the following
form:--
In the case of an amendment to the constitution: Do you
approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution
summarized below, (here state, in distinctive type, whether
approved or disapproved by the general court, and by what vote
thereon)?
[Set forth summary here]
In the case of a law: Do you approve of a law summarized
below, (here state, in distinctive type, whether approved or
disapproved by the general court, and by what vote
thereon)?
[Set forth summary here]
IV. Information for Voters.
The secretary of the commonwealth shall cause to be printed
and sent to each registered voter in the commonwealth the full
text of every measure to be submitted to the people, together
with a copy of the legislative committee's majority and
minority reports, if there be such, with the names of the
majority and minority members thereon, a statement of the votes
of the general court on the measure, and a fair, concise
summary of the measure as such summary will appear on the
ballot; and shall, in such manner as may be provided by law,
cause to be prepared and sent to the voters other information
and arguments for and against the measure.]
See Amendments,
Art. CVIII .