How would Question 1 change the powers of the state auditor?

In addition to deciding who will be elected president of the United States, Massachusetts voters will be considering five referendum initiatives in November. This is the first in a series of stories explaining each of the Massachusetts Ballot Questions for the 2024 election.

Question 1 asks whether the state auditor should be able to conduct an investigation of the legislation.

While audits are typically associated with financial matters, the state auditor focuses more on whether state departments and agencies are complying with applicable laws and regulations regarding their functions. Auditor Diana DiZoglio, a former legislator who won election to her current position in 2022, investigated a series of irregularities at state agencies, including the Cannabis Control Commission, to determine whether expired products were failing inspectors and being offered for sale to consumers.

DiZoglio says there is broad support for giving her office investigative powers in the Legislature.

“Broadly speaking, the question was accepted by most people, except for legislative leaders and their supporters,” she said.

But in November, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell ruled that the auditor’s office lacked the authority to investigate the Legislature, a decision that drew praise from House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) and Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland).

Supporters of the audit decided to launch a referendum initiative and managed to collect enough signatures (almost 100,000) to ensure that the requirements were met.

DiZoglio says the question is a “nonpartisan issue” that has been embraced by all political groups, including both Democratic and Republican political action committees and progressive and conservative organizations.

What does an audit of the state legislature mean?

The Tisch College Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University said passing the question could give the auditor the tools to pressure the Legislature to act with greater clarity and in the public eye. But it would not allow DiZoglio to delve into the full legislative process.

The auditor could examine how and where the Legislature spends money, whether it complies with procurement rules and other regulations. That would not give it the authority to investigate votes, bill amendments, committee appointments or operations, according to the Tufts analysis.

In other states where legislative audits are common, the scope is limited to routine operations, such as procurement and whether the body is following employee training standards. DiZoglio said the Massachusetts Legislature has been audited 117 times in its history and has only recently stepped away from the spotlight.

Massachusetts Legislature Gets Low Transparency Score

According to Open States’ Ballotpedia Legislative Data Report Card, Massachusetts is one of four states that receive an “F” grade when assessing the adequacy, accessibility, and availability of each state’s legislative data. Massachusetts shares the grade with Alabama, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

“Voters are fed up with not having access to what’s going on behind closed doors in the state,” DiZoglio said.

Who spends money on Question 1?

According to the Office of Political Finance and Campaigns, issue advocates donated $410,220 to the Committee for Transparent Democracy to support the initiative.

The Committee for Transparent Democracy was formed in 2023. It reported collecting mostly smaller donations, but some large amounts, including $55,000, were donated by the auditor herself. DiZoglio raises campaign funds through his website, DianafourMA.com.

Additionally, more than 600 volunteers took to the streets to collect signatures to put the question on the November ballot.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MA Question 1: Should the state auditor be able to investigate legislation?