Last Hurdle to Ballot Status for END the Income Tax Initiative

We cleared the first 4 hurdles to putting the END the Income Tax Initiative on the November 4th Ballot.

First, we wrote the legal language for the Initiative – and got it legally certified by the Attorney General's Office.

Second, we collected 76,085 certified petition signatures to qualify our END the Income Tax Initiative for legislative action – and move it toward the ballot.

Third, we survived an under-the-radar, stealth campaign run by the Massachusetts Teachers Union to disqualify our ballot initiative.

Fourth, although the Massachusetts Constitution requires the state legislature to take testimony on and vote on our END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative, the legislature refused to obey the Constitution. The legislature refused to invite us to give testimony. They refused to vote on our initiative.

Fortunately, the legislature cannot exercise a “pocket veto,” cannot block a ballot initiative by refusing to comply with the state constitution. A Massachusetts Supreme Court decision allows our Initiative to move forward – even when the legislature violates the state Constitution.

Now we're headed toward the last hurdle to putting our initiative on the ballot November 4 th .

What's the last hurdle?

We have to collect 20,000 raw petition signatures between May 9th and June 9th . We have to submit these signatures to 351 different towns and cities, get them certified, pick up the petitions – and, finally, turn them in to the Secretary of State's Office.

Then, we're on the November 4th ballot.

Last fall, our supporters collected 5 times this many raw signatures: 100,000. And we got a great 76% certification rate – and 76,085 valid/certified signatures.

But we only have 31 days to collect these last 20,000 signatures. But the voters who signed the first petition cannot sign this one.

Because we cherry picked the best locations for signature collecting last fall, we have to find a number of new, high traffic locations for this petition drive. It's harder.

But the payoff and benefits are so much sweeter, we're on the ballot and you get to vote to END the income tax in Massachusetts.

To help with the ballot drive by gathering signatures from your friends, family, co-workers or neighbors click here for instructions and here for petition forms. Please do not print petitions until reading the instructions!

To make a contribution to help fund the ballot drive, click here.

To understand the law concerning how the initiative proces works, click here.

For more information or answers to any questions just send an email to:

     volunteer (at) SmallGovernmentAct (dot) org