The 2024 election may have heavily favored Kamala Harris at the Massachusetts level, but the most significant thing that the popular vote affected were the ballot questions.  You may have seen the advertisements all over the web and television regarding your vote on these questions, but here are the conclusions that were determined in Massachusetts.  

Question One: Should the State Auditor have the authority to audit the Massachusetts Legislature?

By a landslide, the people of Massachusetts were very much in agreement that the answer is ‘Yes.’  Winning by a massive margin, 71.5% of the state decided that the State Auditor should be able to look over just about everything that the Legislative branch needs to spend money on.  This now means that all laws passed, funding used/added, and operations the Legislatures in Massachusetts passed can be altered to fit a certain financial criteria set by the Auditor(s).

Question Two: Should Massachusetts eliminate the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement?

Oh yes, the infamous question seen by almost anyone with internet access or even a mailbox, as a matter of fact.  Commercials on local cable television, fliers in the mail, and ads all over social media like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and even Snapchat.  Almost every Massachusetts resident has come across this question. The votes were separated by about 600,000 votes, with the final conclusion being ‘Yes’. Now that the voting has passed, starting in the fall of 2025, the yearly Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test(s) will no longer be required for graduation.  However, the testing will still be implemented throughout the state, but a pass or fail will not determine your eligibility for a diploma.

Question Three: Should rideshare drivers have the right to form unions?

The funding for marketing this particular question was nowhere near the previous one, but here and there they were prevalent over some social media platforms. Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have been the main source of income in many households, but even those that use the apps as a side hustle were in agreement that they should be allowed to form a union.  A union allows workers to form a committee to discuss pay and benefits with the corporate heads of their respected companies.  With it being the closest poll yet, the majority chose ‘Yes’. So from here on out, rideshare members are allowed to form a worker’s union.  

Question Four: Should Massachusetts legalize certain natural psychedelic substances for people over 21?

Separated by a little over 400,000 votes, survey says: ‘No‘.  The debate between legalizing marijuana, both for medicinal and recreational use, was split to begin with, back in 2016. But now the debate for the legalization of  psychedelic substances was introduced.  Around 57% were in agreement that it was just not the time.  On the other hand, those believing that it wasn’t too soon still had about 1.4 million voters on their side.  But as of now, all psychedelic substances are prohibited in Massachusetts. 

Question Five: Should Massachusetts increase the minimum wage for tipped workers to $15 per hour?

The people have spoken: the minimum wage for tipped workers in Massachusetts is currently $6.75 in Massachusetts.  The final verdict was selected by a little over 2.1 million voters in our state.  A ‘Yes’ vote would bring the tipped workers up to the state minimum wage ($15) and add tips on top of that, and a ‘No’ vote would lead us leaving tipped salaries the way they are. The final result ended up being a ‘No‘.  Those with a job requiring tips will receive no changes.

With three out of the five questions being answered ‘Yes,’ we’re bound to see some slight changes throughout the educational curriculum, ride-share apps, and legislative branches across Massachusetts.  These individual votes were crucial to these questions, but we determined that nothing drastic will affect our day-to-day life at the state level for the next four years.