Western Massachusetts CPUSA

Question 1 would expand public records law to make many documents held by the governor’s office and state legislature public. While this is an issue that is being supported by Diana DiZoglio and elements of the far-right, we still support this measure that will make one of the most opaque state legislatures in the country more transparent. The fight for transparency in general must be brought under the purview of the working-class and progressive movement and stripped of all reactionary elements.

Access to these documents can expand the scope of many working-class political struggles allowing us to, for instance, tackle outdated funding formulas related to our social services.

Question 2 would give publicdefenders the right to collectively bargain. The Communist Party unequivocally supports the rights of all workers to collective bargaining and action, including state employees.

Question 3 would do away with partisan primary elections in Massachusetts, replacing them with nonpartisan primaries where the top two candidates move forward to the final round of elections regardless of party affiliation. Under current political conditions the Massachusetts GOP will be the only party in a position to broadly benefit from being able to hide candidates’ party affiliations.

We’ve seen this strategy employed in Northampton’s non-partisan council elections when CPUSA member Luke Rotello ran against David Murphy, the latter of whom refused to be held accountable for his far-right commitments (including pro-ICE stances). He spouted rhetoric of non-partisan general civic political responsibility over party, similar to that of the coalition in favor of Question 3. 

Since California has implemented nonpartisan top-two primaries through a similar ballot campaign, more Republican candidates have been able to creep through to final races, causing a wave of alarm and scrutiny leading to campaigns to repeal nonpartisan top-two primaries. Left-leaning political organizations that endorse this ballot question are allowing themselves to be led by the nose by the far right. Notably, Diana DiZoglio has also endorsed this question.

Question 4 would allow Massachusetts citizens to register to vote on Election Day. With the fascist attack on voting rights in full swing, it is important that we take every opportunity to extend the franchise as far as we can. Busy and politically sidelined workers or the elderly should not forfeit their right to vote because they forgot to renew their voter registration. This would also open up same-day get-out-the-vote campaigns as a powerful agitational tool.

Question 5 would change the formula for calculating state tax revenue. Currently, it is equal to the previous year’s state tax revenue limit plus the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the past three years. Question 5 would make it equal to the net amount of state revenue over the previous year plus the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the past three years. Also under this proposal, excess tax will be refunded to taxpayers the following year, therefore functionally kneecaping the “millionaire’s tax”.

Question 5 is an effort by the rich to protect their hoarded wealth at the expense of working people, and an all-out assault on our public institutions and social services.

Question 6 would allocate funding from sales of sporting goods, golf course usage and recreational vehicles to a nature conservation fund. We support this initiative and hope that it can help to offset recent cuts to environmental preservation and research.

Question 7 would prevent regulations on lot sizes and remove permit requirements for single-family homes. This ballot initiative has received a tremendous amount of financial support from developer capital. Much of the debate around cost of living and housing prices has been restricted to a “NIMBY” vs “YIMBY” debate over supply and demand vs cost. We reject the logic of this ballot coalition: that market deregulation will lead to greater housing supply and significantly drive down housing costs. The same developers that are supporting this ballot measure are colluding with our local governments to build expensive housing units and drive up property taxes.

The crisis of housing costs is a general crisis of the capitalist system, driven by various factors endemic to this mode of production like cost of materials and speculation upon housing as a commodity. Development of public housing will be necessary on the path to decisively resolving our housing crisis.

Question 8 would repeal laws passed in Massachusetts that allowed for the retail of recreational marijuana and it’s cultivation on residential properties. It would also limit possession of marijuana to two ounces. Besides being a reactionary social wedge issue, this ballot question should also be understood in context as an attack on the revenue generated from state and municipal cannabis sales taxes. This revenue is one of the reasons Massachusetts has been able to weather financial pressures from the federal administration aiming to erode protections from ICE.

A “yes” vote on this ballot question would stop the repeal of gun regulations passed in 2024 that included:

• Real-time firearm registration tracking
• Safety permit requirements for gun ownership
• A ban on “assault-style” weapons
• The ability for courts to demand firearm surrender as part of harassment proceedings
• A ban on untraceable firearms
• The ability for school administrators and healthcare professionals to request that an individual surrender their firearms

We categorically reject the cynical “civil rights” rhetoric adopted by the coalition calling for the repeal of these safety measures. Amid increased white supremacist and anti-transgender gun violence, it would be deeply negligent to repeal these protections, with dangerous repercussions related to domestic violence and school shootings. Already parents are often afraid to send their children to school, more so if their children are queer, contributing to school resources being stretched thin, increased homeschooling and private schooling, and related cuts in state public school funding.

• Yes endorsement on Questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
  • WMCP ballot question guide
  • Post-election statement