HorizonMassLate Legal Challenge To Somerville’s Question 3 Remains Unresolved With Early Voting About To Start: After the Somerville Elections Commission rejected an opposition group’s challenge in that venue, the group took its fight to kill the question to a Woburn court https://horizonmass.news/2025/10/27/late-legal-challenge-to-somervilles-question-3-remains-unresolved-with-early-voting-about-to-start/ #SomervilleMA #ballotquestion #Palestine #Israel
Ozzie D, NP-hard 
#MApoli folks, what are your thoughts on #Massachusetts #BallotQuestion 5? This would eliminate the lower ($6.75/hr) minimum wage for tipped workers (servers and bartenders), gradually increasing it to the state minimum wage of $15/hr. I lean yes, because I think it's more fair, when taking all front & back of house employees into account. But not certain.
Tim McCormack#SomervilleQuestion6: Yeah, there's a 6th question on the ballot in Somerville! https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/elections/sample-ballots It would be an increase in funding for the Community Preservation Act, which sounds great. This would be based a small increase in real estate taxes, with some carveouts to make it a progressive tax.
#MAQuestion5: Man, really mixed on the tipped worker wages thing.
At a baseline, I think it's gross that tipped workers would have a lower minimum wage and have to make it up in tips. Yes, the upper minimum wage is "guaranteed", but bringing the tipped minimum wage up should help reduce wage theft (which is *absolutely rampant*.)
The one thing that gives me pause is the tip pool thing. I don't know why that's included and what effect it would have.
#MAQuestion4: I'm very mixed on the psychedelics question!
It would allow some really useful therapeutic techniques, and the legalization would be limited (no retail) so it's just a toe in the water, not a full plunge.
I do have concerns about the effects of recreational use. It seems like heavy use makes people worse at reasoning? Which affects me because people *vote*. :-)
Leaning towards Yes anyhow since it's not allowing full legalization (retail).
#MAQuestion3: Siderea has a post explaining some of the interesting effects of allowing unionization for ride-share drivers: https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1858562.html (Standard Siderea disclaimer: She doesn't take well to disagreement of any kind, so comment at your own risk.)
I'd like to see a broader provision of employee-like rights to gig workers, but I don't think this measure is in conflict with that.
#MAQuestion2: What I've heard so far on the #MCAS question has me convinced to vote Yes (to remove it as a graduation requirements). Specifically, a teacher in MA whose opinion I trust quite a bit has explained how detrimental it is to English Language Learners who moved here in middle or high school and therefore struggle more with the *language* of the test than the actual material—and then have to repeatedly miss class to re-test!
#MAQuestion1: Anyone have a strong argument for/against the auditor question?
I'm leaning towards No just because neither the text of the proposal nor the for/against arguments I've seen actually explain what the intended *effect* would be. Needs to be clearer!
It's also interesting that the Against argument is basically "the legislature is supreme and shouldn't have checks on it", which feels like a bad argument, and is from a professor in CT for some reason.
U.S. Politics in Real TimeTrump May Need Supreme Court To Say His Coup Attempt Does Not Violate Constitution - The 14th Amendment bans insurrectionists from seeking office, and the question of whether Trump can even be on the ballot is likely headed to the high court.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-14th-amendment-supreme-court_n_64f26082e4b02f61505e9b36
#TrumpCoupAttempt #ConstitutionViolation #14thAmendment #SupremeCourt #BallotQuestion #InsurrectionistsBan #Politics #News
