1918 Massachusetts Question 1 was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Massachusetts to establish an initiative and referendum process in the state. Referred to the ballot by a constitutional convention, the measure was narrowly agreed to by voters. 51.28% cast a vote in favor, though only 2 of the state's 14 counties had a majority in support.

Background Before being proposed in Massachusetts, 21 U.S. states had already adopted the initiative and referendum process.

At the time, out of the most recent eight gubernatorial elections in the Commonwealth, five of those who were elected governor advocated in their campaign for the process. All gubernatorial candidates in the 1914 election, including both those who won and lost, were supporters. And, three out of the last five speakers of Massachusetts House of Representatives backed the issue.

At the constitutional convention, the amendment passed "by a decisive non-partisan vote," which occurred "after one of the longest debates in American political history". However, before advocates sought to have a constitutional convention, they attempted to receive the necessary two-thirds majority vote in two successive legislative sessions needed for an amendment to pass out of the state House. But, over the course of twelve votes, the amendment only received the necessary two-thirds vote one time, in 1903. DateYeasNays+Vote in the Massachusetts HouseMarch 14, 19016974May 1, 190211164May 5, 190315522April 7, 1904107102April 12, 19058978March 18, 190888114March 29, 19109178April 21, 1910112102June 27, 191112575April 1, 191213273May 12, 191314273191414185

Contents On the ballot, voters were asked:Shall the Article of Amendment relative to the establishment of the popular initiative and referendum and the legislative initiative of specific amendments of the Constitution, submitted by the Constitutional Convention, be approved and ratified?

Results

By county The following table details the results by county: CountyYesNo#%#%Barnstable82227.962,11872.04Berkshire4,35038.197,03961.81Bristol12,06147.0013,60353.00Dukes11933.0624166.94Essex22,24249.2322,93450.77Franklin1,41830.973,16169.03Hampden9,87244.3912,36655.61Hampshire2,09933.154,23266.85Middlesex36,14249.4037,02550.60Nantucket6425.2019074.80Norfolk10,24446.4211,82553.58Plymouth8,19853.427,14846.58Suffolk44,28570.0718,91429.93Worcester18,72846.7821,30653.22State total170,64651.28162,10348.72

By municipality The following collapsed tables detail the results by municipality, such as town or city: MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Barnstable CountyBarnstable22233.7943566.21Bourne8429.0720570.93Brewster3041.104358.90Chatham3820.1115179.89Dennis3522.8811877.12Eastham1428.003672.00Falmouth10327.8426772.16Harwich4223.4613776.54Mashpee416.672083.33Orleans4429.1410770.86Provincetown5921.8521178.15Sandwich8243.8510556.15Truro1223.084076.92Wellfleet2323.007777.00Yarmouth3015.3116684.69Total82227.962,11872.04 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Berkshire CountyAdams68854.7856845.22Alford310.712589.29Becket3742.055157.95Cheshire6038.469661.54Clarksburg3333.336666.67Dalton18137.9529662.05Egremont34.486495.52Florida420.001680.00Great Barrington20535.2237764.78Hancock47.275192.73Hinsdale3835.856864.15Lanesborough3437.365762.64Lee9221.8532978.15Lenox10332.2921667.71Monterey25.263694.74Mount Washington323.081076.92New Ashford00.0011100.00New Marlborough2748.212951.79North Adams85739.931,28960.07Otis37.503792.50Peru633.331266.67Pittsfield1,71840.582,51659.42Richmond1016.135283.87Sandisfield1033.332066.67Savoy1435.902564.10Sheffield3119.3812980.63Stockbridge7335.1013564.90Tyringham411.763088.24Washington417.391982.61West Stockbridge3032.976167.03Williamstown7118.6830981.32Windsor24.883995.12Total4,35038.197,03961.81 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Bristol CountyAcushnet3732.467767.54Attleboro1,07361.9565938.05Berkley3035.715464.29Dartmouth6728.0317271.97Dighton5429.8312770.17Easton25247.1928252.81Fairhaven13625.7639274.24Fall River4,30149.874,32450.13Freetown107.8711792.13Mansfield28651.6226848.38New Bedford3,40246.143,97153.86North Attleborough60557.8944042.11Norton8341.5011758.50Raynham2821.2110478.79Rehoboth3330.007770.00Seekonk6343.158356.85Somerset8428.0021672.00Swansea3117.2214982.78Taunton1,44044.871,76955.13Westport4618.3320581.67Total12,06147.0013,60353.00 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Dukes CountyChilmark625.001875.00Edgartown2018.029181.98Gay Head457.14342.86Gosnold211.111688.89Oak Bluffs3543.214656.79Tisbury4658.233341.77West Tisbury615.003485.00Total11933.0624166.94 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Essex CountyAmesbury41040.6759859.33Andover43544.9453355.06Beverly1,23848.801,29951.20Boxford2021.747278.26Danvers45937.9375162.07Essex7940.1011859.90Georgetown8434.1516265.85Gloucester1,01649.931,01950.07Groveland16059.2611040.74Hamilton6438.7910161.21Haverhill2,05247.812,24052.19Ipswich12025.7534674.25Lawrence4,16160.272,74339.73Lynn5,30856.234,13143.77Lynnfield7441.5710458.43Manchester10530.3524169.65Marblehead42942.7757457.23Merrimac9235.8016564.20Methuen74852.7966947.21Middleton4831.1710668.83Nahant10345.7812254.22Newbury4621.5016878.50Newburyport70142.3895357.62North Andover36246.0042554.00Peabody88851.1884748.82Rockport17743.7022856.30Rowley4829.8111370.19Salem1,82643.962,32856.04Salisbury6131.6113268.39Saugus47947.3353352.67Swampscott33133.8164866.19Topsfield3020.5511679.45Wenham3924.8411875.16West Newbury4928.8212171.18Total22,24249.2322,93450.77 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Franklin CountyAshfield1415.567684.44Bernardston44.448695.56Buckland3218.8213881.18Charlemont55.568594.44Colrain149.2113890.79Conway1716.198883.81Deerfield4221.2115678.79Erving3133.706166.30Gill1316.056883.95Greenfield56341.7378658.27Hawley26.672893.33Heath36.674293.33Leverett815.094584.91Leyden00.0036100.00Monroe00.0013100.00Montague32350.7131449.29New Salem3566.041833.96Northfield2918.3512981.65Orange20330.7145869.29Rowe615.383384.62Shelburne2714.4416085.56Shutesbury316.671583.33Sunderland1717.178282.83Warwick1023.813276.19Wendell1041.671458.33Whately710.456089.55Total1,41830.973,16169.03 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Hampden CountyAgawam9528.7923571.21Blandford1122.003978.00Brimfield3035.715464.29Chester3843.684956.32Chicopee93244.591,15855.41East Longmeadow5836.0210363.98Granville913.245986.76Hampden1835.293364.71Holland29.521990.48Holyoke2,68555.902,11844.10Longmeadow6323.5120576.49Ludlow13444.5216755.48Monson14535.3726564.63Montgomery15.261894.74Palmer32642.7843657.22Russell2828.577071.43Southwick2319.839380.17Springfield4,19842.665,64257.34Tolland323.081076.92Wales819.513380.49West Springfield46647.0252552.98Westfield57437.9693862.04Wilbraham2520.499779.51Total9,87244.3912,36655.61 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Hampshire CountyAmherst19228.4048471.60Belchertown4124.1212975.88Chesterfield1215.586584.42Cummington79.466790.54Easthampton21226.5358773.47Enfield1111.468588.54Goshen39.382990.63Granby1725.764974.24Greenwich611.324788.68Hadley2815.6415184.36Hatfield2217.6010382.40Huntington6140.678959.33Middlefield27.692492.31Northampton75236.491,30963.51Pelham1726.984673.02Plainfield49.523890.48Prescott412.502887.50South Hadley20942.8327957.17Southampton1923.466276.54Ware38855.8330744.17Westhampton717.073482.93Williamsburg7831.9716668.03Worthington711.485488.52Total2,09933.154,23266.85 CountyYesNo#%#%+Middlesex CountyActon6523.4721276.53Arlington97145.061,18454.94Ashby3437.785662.22Ashland11545.4513854.55Ayer17355.8113744.19Bedford6036.3610563.64Belmont46343.2760756.73Billerica18952.9416847.06Boxborough512.823487.18Burlington1618.607081.40Cambridge4,79557.433,55442.57Carlisle1936.543363.46Chelmsford21842.8329157.17Concord26445.6031554.40Dracut12233.8923866.11Dunstable36.674293.33Everett1,97157.681,44642.32Framingham89849.4591850.55Groton9332.1819667.82Holliston15844.7619555.24Hopkinton18052.1716547.83Hudson39251.6536748.35Lexington22230.7949969.21Lincoln3826.5710573.43Littleton3926.5310873.47Lowell4,56252.144,18747.86Malden2,79661.531,74838.47Marlborough1,12761.2871238.72Maynard31654.8626045.14Medford1,99050.611,94249.39Melrose1,07146.651,22553.35Natick77153.5466946.46Newton1,88136.743,23963.26North Reading3627.279672.73Pepperell8929.6721170.33Reading32834.7861565.22Sherborn4630.4610569.54Shirley5738.269261.74Somerville4,20351.523,95548.48Stoneham46551.6143648.39Stow2526.047173.96Sudbury5238.818261.19Tewksbury5729.8413470.16Townsend5527.6414472.36Tyngsborough2323.477576.53Wakefield66945.0881554.92Waltham1,31243.951,67356.05Watertown95549.6197050.39Wayland14349.6514550.35Westford7328.7418171.26Weston5722.7119477.29Wilmington6525.7918774.21Winchester44433.7987066.21Woburn97654.6880945.32Total36,14249.4037,02550.60 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Nantucket CountyNantucket6425.2019074.80Total6425.2019074.80 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Norfolk CountyAvon17065.648934.36Bellingham8061.545038.46Braintree46945.1057154.90Brookline1,28533.462,55566.54Canton26042.9034657.10Cohasset11633.7222866.28Dedham67453.2459246.76Dover2222.687577.32Foxborough15134.4028865.60Franklin26044.6032355.40Holbrook20156.7815343.22Medfield5826.3616273.64Medway11537.7019062.30Millis10050.0010050.00Milton44436.3077963.70Needham32139.2949660.71Norfolk5239.697960.31Norwood60153.6651946.34Plainville7138.8011261.20Quincy2,31257.841,68542.16Randolph33862.8320037.17Sharon17049.5617350.44Stoughton46657.0435142.96Walpole26450.9725449.03Wellesley21130.4048369.60Westwood6941.079958.93Weymouth89054.2075245.80Wrentham7437.9512162.05Total10,24446.4211,82553.58 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Plymouth CountyAbington36053.8930846.11Bridgewater25045.0530554.95Brockton4,03161.472,52738.53Carver2543.103356.90Duxbury7038.0411461.96East Bridgewater19250.5318849.47Halifax1330.233069.77Hanover10446.2212153.78Hanson7343.989356.02Hingham27941.8938758.11Hull7338.6211661.38Kingston7038.6711161.33Lakeville3640.455359.55Marion1414.898085.11Marshfield2512.3217887.68Mattapoisett2521.749078.26Middleborough36544.4645655.54Norwell5845.317054.69Pembroke4444.445555.56Plymouth48346.7655053.24Plympton1322.814477.19Rochester1518.756581.25Rockland54359.7436640.26Scituate9935.6117964.39Wareham19456.2315143.77West Bridgewater14649.6614850.34Whitman59864.4433035.56Total8,19853.427,14846.58 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Suffolk CountyBoston40,63371.4216,25728.58Chelsea1,52257.371,13142.63Revere1,54270.5764329.43Winthrop58839.9788360.03Total44,28570.0718,91429.93 MunicipalityYesNo#%#%+Worcester CountyAshburnham5325.2415774.76Athol37640.3455659.66Auburn14338.9622461.04Barre9939.7615060.24Berlin2621.679478.33Blackstone22068.3210231.68Bolton2322.128177.88Boylston2527.176772.83Brookfield6730.8815069.12Charlton4628.2211771.78Clinton79657.8158142.19Dana1319.125580.88Douglas5334.879965.13Dudley11345.3813654.62Fitchburg1,82251.341,72748.66Gardner77455.6861644.32Grafton17536.5330463.47Hardwick7335.4413364.56Harvard2115.0011985.00Holden6222.3821577.62Hopedale13239.4020360.60Hubbardston3126.058873.95Lancaster5529.1013470.90Leicester17844.5022255.50Leominster81146.5393253.47Lunenburg3825.0011475.00Mendon4036.706963.30Milford87968.7340031.27Millbury16839.6225660.38Millville17577.785022.22New Braintree510.004590.00North Brookfield11449.3511750.65Northborough7028.4617671.54Northbridge31840.7246359.28Oakham1527.783972.22Oxford11634.6321965.37Paxton1023.263376.74Petersham2021.747278.26Phillipston819.513380.49Princeton78.547591.46Royalston1519.236380.77Rutland4131.309068.70Shrewsbury7327.4419372.56Southborough10042.9213357.08Southbridge49847.0356152.97Spencer21130.8947269.11Sterling4625.4113574.59Sturbridge3118.5613681.44Sutton4627.7112072.29Templeton8927.8123172.19Upton6831.0515168.95Uxbridge20644.2126055.79Warren14946.1317453.87Webster63863.4836736.52West Boylston3023.819676.19West Brookfield4028.5710071.43Westborough30155.8423844.16Westminster4130.609369.40Winchendon21538.4634461.54Worcester7,72049.347,92650.66Total18,72846.7821,30653.22

Effect Among other things, the amendment added the following text to the Constitution of Massachusetts:

References

Notes