The Massachusetts Constitution, adopted in 1780, is the oldest still-governing written constitution in the world. It was the model for the U.S. Constitution, which was drafted seven years later. It has been amended 120 times, most recently in 2000, when voters endorsed making the federal census the basis for legislative redistricting and also stripped voting rights from incarcerated felons. In 1998, the voters approved an amendment tying legislative pay raises to increases or decreases in the state's median household income. The last time an amendment was rejected by voters was in 1986, when they were faced with a question regulating the practice and public funding of abortions. Other proposed amendments rejected by voters included one in 1889, which would have prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol, one in 1915 to allow women to vote, and several measures that would have increased the income tax. Before amendments are put on a ballot to be decided by voters, they must be approved by lawmakers during two consecutive legislative sessions. Amendments sponsored by lawmakers, such as the gay marriage amendment, must be approved by a simple majority of the Legislature. Amendments sponsored by citizens through initiative petition must be approved only by 25 percent of lawmakers. Soon after the Declaration of Independence, steps were taken by Massachusetts lawmakers to frame a constitution or form of government. That first version was rejected by voters in 1778. |
