It's a question of mistrust
Mimi Ramos runs political campaigns for a living. But the battle to defeat Question 1 - the ballot question that would wipe out the state's income tax - poses a distinct challenge.
"A lot of people don't even know this is on the ballot," she said yesterday. "Going door-to-door is definitely better than people reading about it in the newspaper or seeing it on television. No offense."
None taken. Ramos, the statewide organizer for Massachusetts ACORN, is one of the ground troops trying to convince people of color that they have a special stake in paying income taxes. She is part of a quiet but determined effort to convince low-income and minority voters that the fallout from eliminating the tax could be disastrous. An estimated 40 percent of the state's budget could face the ax if the ballot question were to pass, and its prospects are uncertain.
The stakes are high, at least for those who like the idea of government. Should the measure pass, state and local government would take an almost unimaginable hit. The effects would likely reverberate for years.
Question 1 is the latest brainchild of antitax advocates who have tried for years to convert widespread cynicism about government into loony public policy. They have veered over the years from advocating a lower income tax to no income tax at all.
Still, versions of this idea have been rattling around Massachusetts for years - from those who believe Proposition 2 1/2 never went far enough - and they have done well enough at the ballot box that no one dares to assume that it couldn't pass here. It might.
The notion behind a targeted appeal to voters of color is rooted in the idea that their numbers figure to surge in November, as people flock to the polls to support Barack Obama. But the first challenge is making sure those voters know the question is even on the ballot, and making sure they don't stop, as many voters do, before they get to the ballot questions.
One finding from talking to voters, which isn't necessarily a shock, is that the views of elected officials do little to sway voters when it comes to taxes.
"I think right now people are really mad and highly skeptical that anyone in power is going to tell them the truth," said Beth Sullivan of Education Voters of America, which has been heavily involved in outreach to the minority community. "Voters don't trust who's in charge."
That attitude makes the grassroots campaign against the ballot question more important. "Our polls show that people pay attention to community leaders and people they trust," said Judy Meredith of One Massachusetts, part of the grassroots coalition. "So my job has been to keep a line of communication open with respected community organizations and to talk to their supporters and neighbors."
The momentum in support of Question 1 is easily mocked by some, but it is no joke in communities where deep cuts in services would represent disaster. Some will argue that Proposition 2 1/2 was supposed to usher in disaster and didn't. But the closing of schools and firehouses it spawned was no party, either, and this would cut far deeper than that measure did.
Peter Meade, head of the anti-Question 1 group Coalition For Our Communities, makes the point that the argument really goes beyond government. "We have people who think government is too big and people who think government is too small. What we're saying is, whatever your gripe is, this isn't the solution."
The unlikely coalition that has sprung up in opposition to Question 1 underscores what an across-the-board disaster its passage would be.
Say hello to bigger classes and fewer teachers and police officers, say goodbye to new businesses that might have considered locating here. Prepare for more fiscal anxiety, as if there weren't enough of that in the air already.
That message may be sinking in. "There's very few people we talk to who don't agree with voting no," Ramos said. "It's more that we need, not less."
Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com. 