BOSTON — Millions of dollars in contributions are continuing to flow to ballot committees behind five statewide referendums ahead of the election Nov. 5.
Sunday was the deadline for groups raising money for and against the ballot questions to report their hauls from the latest reporting period.
Fundraising on Question 2 saw the most activity in the most recent period, with groups backing the proposal to scrap the decades-old mandate requiring high school students to pass the MCAS exams to graduate spending more than $9.6 million to date, according to filings with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
A sizable chunk of funding reported by the Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes has been provided by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the main proponent of the referendum.
Much of the funding has come from in-kind contributions for signature gathering, research and other campaign related activities.
Opponents of Question 2, organized under the Committee to Protect Our Kids’ Future, reported raising more than $2.1 million in the most recent fundraising period.
Backers of Question 3, which would authorize Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing drivers to unionize and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits, had raised more than $5.7 million for the campaign as of Sunday, according to the OCPF filings.
Supporters of Question 1, which asks voters to approve a performance and financial audit of the state Legislature, reported collecting nearly $500,000 as of Sunday, according to the filings.
The referendum was proposed by Auditor Diana DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat and former state lawmaker whose efforts to audit the House and Senate have been blocked by legislative leaders who argue the move is unconstitutional. DiZoglio has chipped in more than $100,000 of her own money for the campaign, filings show.
Meanwhile, backers of Question 5, which calls for paying tipped workers the state’s minimum wage of $15 per hour, raised more than $200,000, not including in-kind contributions from labor unions and others backing the effort, the filings show.
Unlike contributions to individual candidates, donations to referendum campaigns are unrestricted and corporations often get involved, as do special interests, labor unions and others.
The money is being mostly spent on campaign advertising, mailers and outreach in an attempt to sway voters ahead of the election.
Overall figures for this election cycle are expected to rise with committees submitting other rounds of fundraising totals in coming months, and their final, year-end reports after the election.
Ahead of the 2022 elections, committees behind ballot questions to set the “millionaires tax”, dental benefits, expand retail beer and wine sales, and repeal a state law authorizing state driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants raked in more than $67 million – the most expensive election cycles in recent years.
In 2020, ballot questions to update the state’s “right to repair” law and authorize ranked-choice voting poured more than $60.7 million into their campaigns.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.