Campaign Activities

General Laws Chapter 55 governs the raising and spending of money for ballot questions as well as political candidates.  The law also regulates the conduct of public officials and employees undertaking campaign finance activities.

In general, the law regulates conduct not speech.  Thus, while local officials can take a position on an override or exclusion question and speak in favor of or in opposition to it, they cannot spend public funds or use public resources, such as personnel, supplies and facilities, to promote or oppose the question.  Public employees may work on an override or exclusion campaign on a volunteer basis, on their own time, in any capacity other than fundraising.  They may also make personal contributions to political committees established for the purpose of promoting or opposing the ballot question.

3.  Underrides

A levy limit underride decreases the amount of property tax revenue a community may raise in the year specified in the underride questions and in future years.  It decreases the community's levy limit and becomes part of the base for calculating future years' levy limits.  The result is a permanent decrease in taxing authority. 

Election Procedure

Proposition 2 1/2 questions are placed on an election ballot by vote of the Board of Selectmen, not Town Meeting. This is the only way an override or exclusion questions may be placed on the ballot.  They may not be placed on the ballot by a town meeting vote or any local initiative procedure authorized by law.  A local initiative procedure , however, may be used as an alternative method of placing an underride question on the ballot.