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Massachusetts Question 4, Standards for State Census Amendment (1978)
| Massachusetts Question 4 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Census policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 4 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Massachusetts on November 7, 1978. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported establishing that the standards for taking the state census are the same as the standards used for the federal census. |
A “no” vote opposed establishing that the standards for taking the state census are the same as the standards used for the federal census. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 4 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,142,050 | 69.50% | ||
| No | 501,077 | 30.50% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 4 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the House of Representatives and Senate on May 26, 1976, by a vote of 266-0, and on August 10, 1977, by a vote of 258-0? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed constitutional amendment would require that in the taking of the state census, residence be determined in accordance with the standards used by the United States when taking the federal census. Under the federal standards, residence is based upon where a person spends most of his or her time whereas under present state standards residence is based upon legal domicile. The standards would be subject to any exceptions which the legislature might enact. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Massachusetts Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two successive joint legislative sessions for the Massachusetts State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the joint session of the state legislature, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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