Massachusetts voters will soon get their first peek at some of the issues that might end up on the November 2020 state ballot.
Wednesday is a deadline for sponsors of initiative petitions to file their ballot questions with Attorney General Maura Healey's office. It marks the beginning of an arduous process which generally ends with only a handful of questions making it to the finish line.
Healey must first certify that the proposals meet constitutional guidelines for initiative petitions. Sponsors who clear that hurdle must then collect at least 80,239 signatures of registered voters and submit them to city and town clerks by Nov. 20.
If the Legislature fails to act on the petition by next May, sponsors can secure a spot on the ballot by collecting another 13,374 certified signatures.
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