By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-985349.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – Wednesday, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced the certification of 23 ballot initiative petitions dealing with 17 topics, setting the stage for advocates to begin campaigning to get their proposals on the ballot next year.
State law requires that petitioners must now gather the signatures of almost 70,000 registered voters by the first week of December.
Any initiative passed would become the equivalent of state law; meaning voters could get the chance to enact proposals on several policies which have garnered national attention, including medicinal marijuana and physician-assisted suicide.
The "Massachusetts Death with Dignity Act," one of the initiatives vying for a ballot spot, would allow terminally ill patients whose doctors have determined will likely die within six months to self administer a lethal dose of medication. Michael Clarke is an organizer with the "Dignity 2012" coalition and the listed filer of the petition.
"These are very personal decisions that should remain in the hands of the individual and not the government, and we believe that it's time to give terminally ill adults control over how they die."
The "Dignity Act" is one of the proposals with a good chance of actually making it on the ballot; that's according to Paul Watanabe, political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, who said those issues that are hot both locally and nationally will likely be put up for a vote.
"In the case for example of something related to a death with dignity' statute, we have experience with that in Oregon and Washington."
"It's something that I think will receive a lot of attention, will receive a lot of support, and that's really what is necessary in order to garner the initial signatures."
"And then of course the medical marijuana is once again something that has received significant attention, there are other states that have it, and I think Massachusetts will be able to clear that particular hurdle and appear on the ballot."
Clarke said organizers are prepared to put in the hard work now to appear on the ballot in 2012.
"Collecting the required signatures is certainly a monumental task, but I'm confident that it will be achieved. This is a homegrown movement, and we have a large base of support across the Commonwealth, so we'll be able to utilize a mix of volunteer and paid efforts to ensure our success."
Financing and support aren't the only factors that could make or break an initiative; organizers will also have to consider any campaign efforts put forth by those that oppose their initiatives, like the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, who have issued statements in opposition to the "Dignity Act."
Organized opposition may also affect the success of another initiative that, while not a nationally known issue, has received some regional attention over the last few years.
After over a decade of legislative inaction on the issue, a proposal to expand deposits on beverage containers to include water and other non-carbonated beverages filed by the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group was among the certified initiatives.
Watanabe said that while there is an existing base of support for the proposition, the announcement of its potential appearance on the ballot may mobilize opposition groups who will push back with their own campaigns.
"Most retail providers have tended to oppose this type of legislation, and their associations tend to be very well funded. So there's going to be a significant, well funded opposition."
A deposit for bottled water in New York won legislative approval in 2009 after several years of advocacy efforts.
If the Massachusetts propositions receive the necessary number of signatures by December their proposals will be put up for a vote by state legislators. If the legislature fails to enact the proposal, proponents must gather an additional 11,485 signatures by next July to secure a spot on the November ballot.