Massachusetts voters will not get a chance to voice their opinion on the governor's casino plan after legislative leaders refused yesterday to allow a nonbinding question on the presidential primary ballot.
Senator Michael W. Morrissey, Democrat of Quincy, proposed the casino referendum as an amendment to a bill that would move up the state's presidential primary from March 4 to Feb. 5. His amendment would have asked primary voters whether they support the governor's plan to license up to three casinos in Massachusetts.
But after Senator Susan Tucker, Democrat of Andover and a gambling opponent, objected, Senate President Therese Murray ruled Morrissey's amendment "wholly unrelated" to the presidential primary bill and out of order.
Speaker of the House Salvatore F. DiMasi said yesterday he, too, would probably rule the amendment out of order if it is offered by Representative Brian P. Wallace, Democrat of South Boston, on Monday, when the primary bill is to be debated in the House.
Morrissey said Murray had promised to allow debate on the referendum, but changed her mind after other senators offered controversial, far-flung amendments, including one that would authorize slot machines at the state's racetracks and another that would privatize the lottery.
If casinos were debated, he said, the sponsors of the other measures would expect equal time.
"It was a simple effort to allow people to express an interest in nonbinding fashion," said Morrissey, a casino proponent. "It became a much more complicated issue and died under its own weight."
He argued that it would be easier for lawmakers to vote next year on the governor's plan if they knew how their constituents felt about the resort casinos.
"If we found out in early February that this matter was not going to pass or receive some sort of support, we could stop spinning our wheels and put it behind us," Morrissey told his colleagues.
Meanwhile, the Senate approved the change in the presidential primary, over the objections of a few senators who said the new date inconveniences city and town clerks who plan their elections many months in advance.
"I think if we move forward, it is going to be a problem and we should be prepared to hear complaints," said Senator Richard Moore, Democrat of Uxbridge.
Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who proposed changing the primary day to give Massachusetts voters more of a say in presidential politics, said he was delighted by the 33 to 5 vote.
"The overwhelming margin demonstrated the Senate put the voters of Massachusetts first, ahead of petty bureaucrats and party considerations, " Galvin said.
If the House follows suit and the bill is signed by Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts will be the 23d state to hold its presidential primary on Feb. 5.
