Information about Early Voting and Ballot Initiative Questions from Worcester Interfaith

•

Early voting is happening now!

  • Tuesday, November 1st 9:00 am to 7:00 pm at Stearns Tavern 140 Mill St, Worcester, MA 01602
  • Wednesday, November 2nd 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room 3 Salem St, Worcester, MA 01608
  • Thursday, November 3rd 9:00 am to 7:00 pm at Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room 3 Salem St, Worcester, MA 01608
  • Friday, November 4th 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room 3 Salem St, Worcester, MA 01608

There are 5 questions on the ballot in Worcester this November. Worcester Interfaith and many other communities and organizations around the city encourage you to vote Yes on Questions 1, 4, and 5.

Question 1 is the Fair Share Amendment

Fair Share would allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4% tax on the portion of a person’s annual personal income above $1 million. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and public transportation. This would only raise taxes on the top 1 percent of MA households: those who earn more than a million dollars of taxable income in a single year. This new revenue, $2 billion a year, is constitutionally required to be spent on quality public education and affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.

learn more here https://www.fairsharema.com/

Question 4 is for Safer Roads

A yes vote for Question 4 would ensure that Massachusetts could keep the law passed this spring that allows everyone who can drive and is over 18 to take the driving test and, if they pass, receive a license and insurance. Legislators passed the Work and Family Mobility Act so that immigrants without status can obtain a driver’s license if they provide proof of identity, date of birth, and Massachusetts residency, pass the required Massachusetts driver’s test, and are properly registered and insured. A quickly-formed fear-based campaign gathered enough signatures to place a veto of the measure on November’s ballot by falsely equating the measure as promoting illegal immigration.

Voting YES ON 4 would allow Massachusetts to experience the safety and revenue benefits 17 other states have enjoyed. Those states include most of our neighbors, and some that have had a law in place for decades. States from California to Connecticut have seen significantly fewer hit-and-run crashes. Utah and New Mexico have seen uninsured driving drop 80 and 60 percent. In the Commonwealth, voting YES ON 4 is projected to bring an additional $5 million in taxes and $6 million from fees, inspections and other services within the first three years.

learn more here https://saferroadsma.com/

Question 5 is for a Community Preservation Act

The Community Preservation Act would add a 1.5% surcharge on residents’ annual assessed property tax beginning in July 2023. The first $100,000 of residential and commercial-industrial property value will be exempt from the surcharge. Low-income families and low- to moderate-income senior citizens who own homes are also exempt from the surcharge. The money collected through the surcharge will go into a dedicated fund – a percentage of which is matched by the state – that must be used to finance historic preservation projects, open space acquisition and park improvements, and community housing.

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) gives our community the funds we need to control our future. CPA is a smart growth tool that helps communities preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational facilities. CPA also helps strengthen the state and local economies by expanding housing opportunities and construction jobs for the Commonwealth’s workforce, and by supporting the tourism industry through preservation of the Commonwealth’s historic and natural resources. learn more here https://www.cpaworcester.org/