Image from Wikimedia.
When you hear the word “election”, you might think of the presidential elections which happen every four years. What you might not know is that there are also midterm elections which occur halfway between presidential elections. Each year and each state has different questions.
The first question on the ballot for Massachusetts involves nurses. A “yes” vote would put in place the “Safe Patients Limits Ballot Initiative.” This initiative would limit the number of patients that could be assigned to one registered nurse in hospitals and certain other healthcare facilities. A “no” vote would make no change in the current law. The exact ratio of patient to nurse would vary depending on the hospital departments and the type of patients. For example, the maximum number of patients a nurse could be assigned in the pediatric department might be four, while the limit in the emergency room would likely be less. Many believe that this vote will make health care facilities safer, but opponents say that this vote could make the waiting time in hospitals and emergency rooms longer. California is one of the states that already have limits in place and proponents of the initiative claim that it has actually helped the nurses’ do their job more efficiently.
The second question on the ballot if voted “yes,” would create a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the United States Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings. Mr. Tivnan, an AP government teacher at Malden High School explains that “they are trying to start a commission to look into the influence of money it has on campaigns.” This vote dates back to a case called “Citizens United” in 2010 where the Supreme Court ruled that a corporation has the same rights as an individual and you can’t limit how much money they spend on campaigns because that would be in violation of their first amendment rights. People that disagree with this argue that corporations are just large groups of people with money who can influence politics. On the other side, “[if] you form a corporation, do you then forfeit your first amendment rights?” When asked if any major changes will happen if this vote is put in place, Tivnan says, “It’s going to be interesting because a lot of this stuff is based on the Supreme Court ruling… and to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision is very difficult.” Since Massachusetts is a very liberal state, most people will likely vote in favor of this.
The last question on the ballot asks citizens of Massachusetts if they want to repeal a current law, one that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation. Voting “yes” would keep in place the current law, and voting “no” would repeal it. The concern that this law raises is that it may threaten women's safety by allowing men identifying as women to enter female facilities. Although, supporters of this previous law say that there has not been one issue or invasion of privacy as a result of this law. Keeping this law in place will help Massachusetts continue being a fair and undiscriminating place for transgender people.
Remember, if you are eligible to vote, the elections happen on November 6th. If you go to this website, you can find information on where you are supposed to vote.
