Two non-binding questions on November ballot

[ron_newman]

By now, everyone should know that that November's ballot has three statewide binding questions. But if you live in Denise Provost's state rep district (27th Middlesex, covering about half of Somerville), your ballot will also contain these two non-binding "public policy" questions:

Question 4: Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on the federal government to support the right of all people, including non-Jewish Palestinian citizens of Israel, to live free from laws that give more rights to people of one religion than another? (EDIT: This is also on the ballot in Alice Wolf's 25th Middlesex district, covering about half of Cambridge.)

Question 5: Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of amending the state Constitution to replace the state Legislature with 100 randomly selected adult residents of the Commonwealth, each serving a one-year term, to be called the Commonwealth Jury and to have all the legislative and other powers of the current Legislature?

Question 4 is the Somerville Divestment Project's latest local campaign; you can read here and here about the two (failed) questions they put on the 2006 ballot. Regardless of the merits of their proposals, I strongly dislike the way this organization operates and the way they attempt to divide Somerville residents.

I haven't a clue who's behind Question 5. Perhaps someone who's a fan of ancient Greek democracies, and wants to try replicating their structures here? EDIT: No, actually it's this guy who doesn't even live in Somerville.

(If you live in Cambridge, Medford, or Arlington, you may have different non-binding questions than the ones I listed here. Any 200 voters can put questions like this on the ballot.)

Comments

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Wow, question 5 is hilarious! That's even more fun than the Libertarian candidate for Senate!

I have no idea how they got the signatures

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

to get that on the ballot! But I may vote yes, just for fun.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, yes.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

are you kidding? it's *awesome*. my god, if that happened, I'd have to stock up on buttery popcorn. Can we also, as part of the same change, get a MA-specific CSPAN to videotape all the legislative sessions?

[ron_newman]

I report, you decide. Seriously, I don't think the question makes much sense as written, but I have a pretty low opinion of anything that SDP does.

[l33tminion]

It's a non-binding referendum telling our state representative to support a resolution telling the federal government to pass a resolution saying that laws that favor one religion over another are bad (and this means you, Israel).

So it's fairly straightforward by political standards. :-D

More seriously, none of those things (the ballot question itself, the state resolution, and the federal resolution) would be binding, they're just statements of opinion, and the question is a glorified opinion poll. What's weird is how little the yes-on-4 mail propaganda ("OMG Israel is Apartheid!!!") matches up with the actual text of the initiative (should we say in general terms that we're against kicking puppies religious discrimination).

[jadelennox]

now I wish I lived in 27th Middlesex. Question five is not quite as cool as the Guns and Dope Party's pledge to replace one third of Congress with ostriches, but still pretty awesome.

Also, it gives me a great excuse to use this icon.

[ilai]

I've been wondering about them since a friend showed me their brochures over the weekend--I couldn't find a reference to a list of them online. How does one actually find out about these local ballot questions, other than getting the brochures on your doorstep? (I live in Carl Sciortino's district so I guess we don't get to vote on those.)

[ron_newman]

You saw a brochure about the non-binding questions? What does it look like?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

more seriously, do you have a link for the nonbinding questions on the ballots in various districts? it appears to be non-trivial to find them via mass.gov. I can find it if i lie about my address and then look at my ballot on the state web site, tho.

[ron_newman]

The state sent me a PDF when I asked this question. I could forward it to you by e-mail if you like. I replied that the state needs to put this file up on their own website.

If you fill out the form at http://WhereDoIVoteMA.com , you'll see a sample ballot that includes any non-binding questions applicable to your district.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

how do we find out which district we live in, or what questions there are?

[ron_newman]

http://WhereDoIVoteMA.com . As of today, once you fill out the form, it gives you a link to your sample ballot.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

I also think that Question 5 is hilarious.

I Googled the text of Question 5 and found this is the blog of John Spritzler, who is trying to get this passed in Massachusetts (http://commonwealthjury.blogspot.com/), if you want to read more...

[ron_newman]

Thanks for finding that. Spritzler is also a supporter of the Somerville Divestment Project and therefore probably responsible for Question 4 as well.

But he doesn't even live in Somerville, so I wonder how he collected the 200 signature for each petition.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

"The democratic right to vote over same-sex marriage"

I remain uncertain as to whether people think they have the right to vote on other people's human rights amusing or terrifying.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. I love Somerville so much.

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

I find that when I imagine myself being randomly chosen, I rather like Question 5, but when I imagine my crazy neighbors (especially the kooky chick who lives downstairs) wielding that power, my enthusiasm diminishes rapidly.

[cos]

No reason why someone sponsoring a nonbinding question should live in the city or district. Usually these kinds of things are only effective as part of a coordinated campaign involving some lobbying, some press and PR, and getting the question passed in districts around the state. I initiated a nonbinding question several years ago against the Patriot Act, and with the help of the ACLU we organized teams of volunteers around the state and got it on the ballot in a bunch of districts I didn't live in.

[ron_newman]

I understand -- but this Question 5 is ONLY in Somerville, nowhere else, and its originator lives in Brighton. You'd think he might want to start first with his home district.

The Divestment Project question 4 is only in two districts, one in Somerville and one in Cambridge.

[zaarwin-devolve.livejournal.com]

Aaah, so those are the crackpots who've been hanging around Shaw's recently. (Well, some of the crackpots, anyway.) I was wondering why they were handing out something about Question 4. Oh, Camberville, how I love - and yet fear - your conspiracy theorists and Scientologists.

Background on Questions 4 and 5

[jonhaber.livejournal.com]

In fact, both Questions 4 and 5 were put on the ballot by SDP, now under the direction of the aforementioned Brighton-based John Spritzler. From what I’ve heard, Question 5 (eliminating state government in favor randomly-selected people’s committees) is somehow connected to the SDP mission to get Somerville on record as condemning Israel because government - as currently configured - is deluding the masses, preventing them from seeing the world as the SDP knows it to be.

The confusingly worded Question 4 is a variation on a question they used in 2006 which purports to be a general human rights question (it was on refugees in 2006, but on religious freedom this year) with the Israel-Palestinian issue mentioned as an aside. As someone here pointed out, their campaign literature is much more to the point. While SDP will be happy if they win votes by confusing voters into thinking they’re voting for a wide-ranging stand on religious freedom, once the vote is taken they will present all “Yes” votes as Somervillians and Cambridgians agreeing with them that Israel is an Apartheid state suitable for condemnation, punishment and who knows what after that.

When I lived in Somerville, I worked with a number of individuals and groups to see the SDP’s divestment initiatives defeated in 2004-2006. This year, however, we found the Spritzler -SDP campaign so bizarre and irrelevant that it wasn’t worth bothering with. Having spent 2004-2006 alienating almost everyone in Somerville, this year’s SDP project managed to earn condemnation even from some of the organization’s craziest supporters (including the Islamist-Anti-Semitic couple I describe at http://www.somervillemejustice.com/marriage.html) who don’t care for the Paleo-Marxism of Question 5 or the implication of condemning religious repression (which they support in the case of certain religions) of Question 4.

Someone once said, if your enemy is in the process of destroying himself, just stand back and enjoy the show. If SDP loses this year, or wins and then realizes no one cares, I’m hoping this will be a wake-up call to them to stop using the Somerville ballot as a way to work out their feelings of inadequacy.

Re: Background on Questions 4 and 5

[ron_newman]

This week's Somerville News has an article on Question 5.

Congratulations on foresight - #5

[sortitionist.livejournal.com]

Government BY the people.
Congratulations on recognizing the fact that, with deliberation, willing and able citizens can guide the ship of state. As Aristotle said of the first democracy:
"It is accepted as democratic when public offices are allocated by lot; and as oligarchic when they are filled by election."

See www.TheCommonLot.com