Earlier this year, Massachusetts legislators passed a law allowing
unauthorized immigrants to apply for state-issued driver’s
licenses.
Now, with Ballot Question 4, voters are being asked to either
affirm or annul the law before it can take effect.
At its core, Question 4 is about the rights we afford to
unauthorized immigrants living in our state. What kinds of support
and recognition should they receive? And what aspects of
American life should be preserved for citizens and legal residents?
Currently in Massachusetts, unauthorized immigrants can attend
public schools, obtain free school meals, receive some housing
assistance, and qualify for public health services like vaccinations.
But they are not allowed to vote, claim unemployment benefits, or
participate in many federal programs like Medicaid or food
stamps.
Question 4 lets voters decide where driver’s licenses fit in this
broader picture, weighing issues like the safety of our transportation system and the impact on immigrants’ daily lives.
Related Organizations
- Pages
- 7
- Published in
- United States of America
Table of Contents
- Earlier this year Massachusetts legislators passed a law allowing unauthorized immigrants to apply for state-issued drivers licenses. 1
- Now with Ballot Question 4 voters are being asked to either affirm or annul the law before it can take effect. 1
- Question 4 lets voters decide where drivers licenses fit in this broader picture weighing issues like the safety of our trans- portation system and the impact on immigrants daily lives. 1
- We found that 2
- Despite some safeguards its still possible that a program of licenses for unauthorized immigrants could be used to identify and track people in future. 2
- In the sections that follow we describe this ballot initiative in greater detail and discuss the likely impact of yes and no votes. 2
- WHAT QUESTION 4 WOULD DO 3
- HOW DID WE GET HERE 3
- IMPACT OF A YES VOTE 3
- At the RMV 3
- Across our roadways 4
- New legitimacy for unauthorized immigrants 4
- Long-term risk for unauthorized immigrants 5
- IMPACT OF A NO VOTE 5
- CONCLUSION 5
