Winchester voters able to vote on non-binding referendum concerning Social Security, Jobs, Taxes and Military Spending
Referendum is Question 4 in Winchester Precincts 4, 5, 6 and 7
On Tuesday November 6th, about one third of all Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to send a message to Washington about some of the key issues that lie at the heart of the national election. In Winchester, the “Budget for All” non-binding public policy question appears as Question 4 on the ballot in Precincts 4, 5, 6 and 7, which are in Senator Pat Jehlen’s 2nd Middlesex District.
A network of more than 50 community and labor organizations and peace groups around the state has gathered enough signatures to put the “Budget for All” question on the ballot asking voters whether they support proposals to Protect Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs; Invest in useful jobs; End offshore tax havens and tax cuts on the highest incomes; Reduce the military budget and bring all troops home safely from Afghanistan NOW: and Re-direct the savings into job creation and public services that our families need.
This referendum question is supported by 25 elected officials, including Congressman Ed Markey, State Senator Pat Jehlen and State Representative Jason Lewis.
The “Budget For All” referendum will be on the ballot in 91 cities and towns around the state, including four of Winchester’s eight precincts, meaning that about one million voters can cast a ballot regarding these critical matters of national policy. Evidently there has never been a non-binding referendum with more extensive statewide ballot placement in modern Massachusetts history.
The “Budget for All” public policy question was placed on the ballot by a concerned group of people who have had enough of the one-sided debate on the critical issues of the day now taking place in Washington. In a massive effort, carried out largely by volunteers, more than 25,000 signatures were collected on legal petitions and 17,565 were certified as valid signatures of registered voters in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
Statewide contact: Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee, Tel: (617) 623 – 5288, pshannon@afsc.org.
Elzabeth Cregger
8:58 am on Saturday, October 27, 2012
Why can only 50% of precincts in Winchester vote on this?
Barbara Magnuson
2:06 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012
Only precincts 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Winchester can vote on the Budget for All referendum question because it appears on ballots only in those Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives Districts in which enough certified signatures of registered voters were collected to get this question on the ballot. One such district is Senator Pat Jehlen’s Second Middlesex District, which includes Somerville, Medford, half of Winchester, and part of Cambridge. Even though signatures were not collected in Winchester, the four Winchester precincts in the Second Middlesex District have this on the ballot as Question 4. Voters in Winchester’s other four precincts are not able to vote on the Budget for All because the signatures required to get it on their ballots were not collected in either their Senate or House District. Thank you for your question.