Galvin contradicted by multiple versions of his own election guide going back a over decade
calendars going back to 2014 clearly indicate a December effective date for approved ballot questions
Six different versions of Bill Galvin’s own State Ballot Question Petition Guide going back a decade contradict the Secretary of State’s recent comments that the November voter approved ballot questions go into effect January 4 2025, rather than last Thursday December 5th.
The guides also contradict a Galvin spokesperson’s assertion that the dispute over the effective date stems from the error of a singular staff member updating the guide for the 2024 election cycle.
At issue is the effective date of November’s successful ballot questions 1, 2 and 3. But especially Question 1, (audit the legislature) which passed with 72% of the vote on November 5th.
State Auditor DiZoglio insisted at a State House press conference last Wednesday that the law went into effect December 5, 30 days after the election, citing Galvin’s own guide published on mass.gov: “Law takes effect. Thirty days after election or upon such time as may be provided in such law. December 5, 2024”
That language seems to be supported by the plain reading of the state constitution which flanked DiZoglio at her State House presser.
But when questioned Wednesday shortly after DiZoglio’s press conference, Galvin once again asserted the law would not go into effect until 30 days after certification which would be January 4, 2025.
In yesterday’s Boston Herald Galvin’s spokesperson inferred a staff member made a error in updating the most recent version of the guide revised in 2023: “There could be an error in the guide because the person who updated the guide counted 30 days from the election. You can’t read just one portion of the guide. You do have to read the entire guide. There’s a lot of legal nuance here.”
However every previous version of the State Ballot Question Petition Guide readily available online from the State House Library, supports DiZoglio’s interpretation that the law passed by popular vote November 5th should go into effect December 5, 2024.
Scrolling down to the “CALENDAR FOR AN INITIATIVE PETITION FOR A LAW” each calendar going back to 2014, clearly indicates a December effective date.
We located five versions of the guide in the State Library digital catalog, none supported Galvin’s recent interpretation of a January effective date.
Versions found in State House Library digital catalog:
July 2013
Jan 2015
Aug 2015
Jan 2017
Jan 2019
plus the Jan 2023 guide currently posted on Galvin’s mass.gov page.
We’ve made the guides available here.
According to mass.gov the “State Library was established in 1826 to collect, deposit, and house the Commonwealth's collections of maps, statute books, and government documents in a single central location.”
