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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-11-05-State-Election-Warrant WARRANT FOR STATE ELECTION TOWN OF LEXINGTON Commonwealth of Massachusetts Middlesex, ss. To either of the Constables of the Town of Lexington, in said County, Greetings: In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby directed to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Lexington qualified to vote in elections to meet in their respective voting places in said Town. PRECINCT ONE, HARRINGTON SCHOOL; PRECINCT TWO, BOWMAN SCHOOL; PRECINCT THREE, BRIDGE SCHOOL; PRECINCT FOUR, SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL; PRECINCT FIVE, CARY MEMORIAL BUILDING; PRECINCT SIX, WILLIAM DIAMOND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL; PRECINCT SEVEN, ESTABROOK SCHOOL; PRECINCT EIGHT, FIRE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING; PRECINCT NINE, MARIA HASTINGS SCHOOL. TUESDAY, THE FIFTH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 1974 at 7:00 o'clock A.M. , to cast their ballots for the following officers: Governor For this Commonwealth Lieutenant Governor For this Commonwealth Attorney General For this Commonwealth Secretary of the Commonwealth For this Commonwealth Treasurer and Receiver-General For this Commonwealth Auditor of the Commonwealth For this Commonwealth Representative in Congress For 5th Congressional District Councillor For 3rd Councillor District (Precincts 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) Councillor For 6th Councillor District (Precincts I , 2, 3 and 5) Senator For 4th Middlesex Senatorial District (Precincts I , 2, 3 and 5) Senator For 5th Middlesex Senatorial District (Precincts 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) One Representative in General Court For 35th Middlesex Representative District (Precincts I , 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) One Representative in General Court For 37th Middlesex Representative District (Precincts 7 and 8) One Representative in General Court For 38th Middlesex Representative District (Precinct 9) District Attorney For Northern District County Commissioner For Middlesex County Sheriff For Middlesex County • c, - And to take action on the following questions: QUESTION NO. I PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution summarized below which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held August 25, 1971 , received 212 votes in the affirmative and 39 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held June 6, 1973, received 235 votes in the affirmative Yes and 19 in the negative? No SUMMARY The proposed constitutional amendmant, if approved, would replace the present Article 52 of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth and would empower the General Court, by concurrent vote of the two houses, to take a recess or recesses amounting to not more than thirty days. The present Article 52 permits such recesses but provides that "no such recess shall extend beyond the sixtieth day" from the beginning of the legislative session. QUESTION NO. 2 PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution summarized below which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held August 25, 1971 , received 177 votes in the affirmative and 65 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held June 6, 1973, received 166 votes in the affirmative Yes and 93 in the negative? No SUMMARY The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved, would provide for a census in the year 1975 and every tenth year thereafter of the inhabitants of each city and town as a basis for determining the re- presentative, senatorial and councillor districts for the ten year period beginning with the first Wednesday in the fourth January following the taking of the census, provided that the districts as established based on the 1971 census shall terminate on the first Wednesday in January, 1979. The census shall specify the number of inhabitants residing in each precinct of a town and each precinct and ward of a city. Under the proposed amendment, the House of Representatives would consist of 160 members, in contrast to the present membership of 240, and the Senate of 40 members. The General Court would, at its first regular session after the year in which the census is taken, divide the Commonwealth into 160 representative districts and 40 senatorial dis- tricts of contiguous territory so that each representative and each senator will represent an equal number of inhabitants as nearly as may be; and such districts shall be formed, as nearly as may be, without uniting two counties or parts of two or more counties and, with re- spect to representative districts, without uniting, as nearly as may be, two towns or parts of two or more towns, two cities or parts of two or more cities, or a city and a town, or parts of cities and towns, into one district, and without dividing any town containing less than 2500 inhabitants. The General Court would be permitted to pass laws to limit the time within which judicial proceedings may be instituted calling in question any such division. The proposed amendment further provides that every representative, for one year at least immediately preceding his election, shall have been an inhabitant of the district for which he is chosen, and every senator shall be an inhabitant of this Commonwealth for five years at least preceding his election and at the time of his election shall be an inhabitant of the district for which he is chosen. Every representative and senator shall cease to represent his district when he shall cease to be an inhabitant of the Commonwealth. The manner of calling and conducting the elections for repre- sentatives and for senators and councillors, and of ascertaining their election, shall be prescribed by law. The amendment vests original jurisdiction in the Supreme Judicial Court, upon petition of any voter of the Commonwealth, filed with the clerk of said court, for judicial relief relative to the establishment of House of Representatives, councillor and senatorial districts. QUESTION NO. 3 PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the con- stitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held June 7, 1972, received 250 votes in the affirmative and 3 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held June 6, 1973, re- Yes ceived 253 votes in the affirmative and 0 in the negative? No SUMMARY The proposed constitutional amendment would repeal section 2 of Article 46 of the Articles of Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth (the "anti-aid amendment", so-called), and replace it with a new section 2, for the purpose of allowing grants in aid to private higher educational institutions or to students, or parents or guardians of students, attending such institutions. The proposed amendment would delete the first clause of the present section 2, which requires that all moneys raised by taxa- tion in the towns and cities for the support of public schools, and all moneys appropriated by the Commonwealth for the support of common schools shall be applied to or expended in only those schools conducted according to law under the order and super- intendence of the authorities of the town or city in which the money is expended. The effect of the deletion of the first clause of section 2 would be to remove the constitutional pro- hibition against the use of public moneys, which have been raised by taxation or appropriated for support of public schools, for grants in aid to private higher educational institutions or to students, or parents or guardians of students, attending such institutions. The proposed amendment would also alter the second clause of the present section 2 by removthng the prohibition against a grant, appropriation or use of public money or property or loan of public credit by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision for the purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding any school or institution of learning, whether under public control or otherwise, wherein any denominational doctrine is inculcated, or any other school or any college which is not publicly owned and under the exclusive control , order and superintendence of public officers or public agents. In place of the foregoing, the proposed amendment would prohibit the grant, appropriation or use of public money or property or loan of credit by the Commonwealth or any political sub- division for the purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding any primary or secondary school which is not publicly owned and under the exclusive control , order and superintendence of public officers or public agents. -. The proposed amendment would also add to the present section 2 a provision that nothing therein shall be construed to prohibit grants in aid to private higher educational institutions or to students, or parents or guardians of students, attending such institutions. QUESTION NO. 4 LAW PROPOSED BY AN INITIATIVE PETITION Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held May 17, 1972, received 131 votes in the affirmative and 121 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held May 8, 1974, received 139 votes in the affirmative Yes and 119 in the negative? No SUMMARY The proposed constitutional amendment would revise Article 78 of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution to permit the expenditure of money from the highway fund for mass transportation lines and other mass transportation purposes in such manner as the Legislature may direct. The highway fund includes receipts from fees, duties, excises and license taxes relating to registration, operation or use of motor vehicles and taxes from the sale of motor vehicle fuels. The expen- diture of money from such fund is presently restricted to highway and bridge construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair, enforce- ment of state traffic laws, and administration of the tax statutes which provide highway fund receipts. QUESTION NO. 5 LAW PROPOSED BY AN INITIATIVE PETITION Do you approve of a law summarized below which was disapproved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 73 in the affirmative and 150 in the negative and was disapproved in the Senate by a vote of 16 in the Yes affirmative and 22 in the negative? No SUMMARY Provisions of the act establish an independent Corrupt Practices Commission, with five members to be appointed by the Governor to staggered five year terms. The Commission has subpoena powers and is to investigate, by means of secret hearings, candidates' compli- ance with all state and federal laws relating to political campaign contributions and expenditures and corrupt practices. If probable cause is shown, the Commission is required to direct the Attorney General to take further action in the proper form and is required to make public a report of such action. In cases involving the campaign practices of the Attorney General himself, a special attorney is to be appointed. If no probable cause is shown, the Commission is to state so publicly. Further, the proposed act extends the application of the current statute regarding the disclosure of campaign expenditures and contri- butions, to all candidates for office above the town and city level , with the exception of President and Vice President of the United States. The act requires all such candidates to receive and disburse all amounts greater than $25 by check, and makes it a crime to knowingly receive cash payment from a candidate or his committee for a service costing more than $25. The act also requires candidates to designate a single bank as depository of funds and as recordkee- per, with records of receipts and expenditures to be open to public scrutiny. Provisions of the act extend present campaign spending limits to cover all media expenses and require all media firms (including: television, radio, newspaper, billboard, magazine, advertising, public relations, printing, opinion polling, computer, telephone, telegraph) to report the purchase of media services by candidates. Media expenses of candidates for the offices of district attorney, clerk of court, register of probate and insolvency, register of deeds, county commissioner, county treasurer and sheriff are limited to $.07 for each resident of the respective electoral district. Other provisions of the act require candidates, upon official announcement or filing of nomination papers, to report all political receipts and expenditures since the date of the last general election for the office sought, and count such expenditures toward spending limits. The act also limits candidates to one political committee. The act establishes a maximum penalty of one year imprison- ment and/or $10,000 fine for individuals engaged in corrupt prac- tices, and a $50,000 fine for corporations so involved. In addition, the Attorney General is permitted to bring an action for the removal of a candidate whose election was materially aided by corrupt prac- tices on the part of the candidate or one acting in his behalf, where such removal is otherwise authorized by law. QUESTION NO. 6 Should the General Court enact legislation during the nineteen hundred and seventy-five session reorganizing state government by creating a Department of Health Systems Regulation which shall have the power to administer the medicaid program, control and set rates for nursing homes, hospitals, and other health providers under medi- caid, license and inspect health facilities, and regulate private Yes health insurance policies, medical and hospital service plans? No QUESTION NO. 7 Shall licenses be granted in the town of Lexington for the sale therein of all alcoholic beverages by restaurants having a Yes dining room capacity of not less than ninety-nine persons? No QUESTION NO. 8 "Shall the Senator from this District be instructed to vote to approve a resolution memorializing the Congress of the United States Yes in favor of Amnesty for all those who resisted the Vietnam War?" No Warrant for State Election November 5, 1974 The polls will be open at 7:00 A.M. and will remain open until 8:00 P.M. And you are directed to serve this Warrant seven days at least before the time of said meeting as provided in the By—Laws of the Town. Hereof fail not, and make due return on this Warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, on or before the time of said meeting. Given under our hands at Lexington, this fifteenth day of October, A.D. , 1974. Ck%Ci\NA 14,Aj 7/� Z- Vii:i<\\ Selectmen ' 1n.' of Lexington A true copy, Attest: MbLton /( T� -P, r - c.e C:1 CONSTABLE'S RETURN October 24 , 1974 To the Town Clerk: I have served the foregoing warrant by posting a printed copy thereof in the Town Office Building, Cary Memorial Building, and in a public place in each of the precincts of the Town and also by sending by mail , postage prepaid, a printed copy of such warrant addressed to each dwelling house and to each dwelling unit in multiple dwelling houses, apartment buildings, or other buildings in the Town 12 days before the time of said meeting. Attest: SI.1n4J ✓t �•nsta if exingto`/ ' p7 F-c cn OFFICERS RETURN MIDDLESEX SS : DATE October 24, 1974 I have this day notified the voters of Lexington of the elections to be held on the November 5 th l97 • The voters wero notified by mailing to them a true attested copy of the warrant and by posting in the following places a true attested copy of the warrant. Precinct 1/ 1 East Lexington Library Precinct # 2 East Lexington Fire Station Precinct # 3 Bowman School Precinct # L Cary Library Precinct # 5 Cary Hal 1 Precinct # 6 Central Fire Headquarters Precinct # 7 Esterbrook School Precinct # 8 Public Workd Building Precinct # 9 Hastings School Town Office Building Xi l / nonstabof Lexingti ; - cin _