BOSTON, MA — Official results today affirm that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts voted “yes” on Ballot Question 4, keeping the Work and Family Mobility Act in place and allowing all qualified residents, regardless of immigration status, to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license, and legally drive in Massachusetts.
“The passage of this law made history, and voters in Massachusetts have just made it again,” said 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice-President Roxana Rivera and Brazilian Worker Center Executive Director Lenita Reason, co-chairs of the Yes On 4 for Safer Roads campaign. “Our Commonwealth will now have safer roads, and our immigrant families will safely be able to drive to work, drop their kids off at school, and go to medical appointments. We built a strong and diverse coalition that fought back against division and drove Massachusetts forward.”
The Yes On 4 for Safer Roads campaign arose from Driving Families Forward, a broad coalition of over 270 elected officials, law enforcement leaders, labor unions, immigrant rights organizations, transportation experts and public health professionals who endorsed the driver’s license law, known as the Work and Family Mobility Act. Formed in 2019, Driving Families Forward reached its goal in June when 75 percent of State House legislators overrode a gubernatorial veto, passing the act into law. Six days later, opponents began a ballot initiative process that led to the certification in September of Ballot Question 4, which asked voters whether to keep the new law in place.
The “Yes” vote now allows the law to proceed to full implementation. Starting July 1 next year, immigrants without status will be able to obtain a standard Massachusetts driver’s license if they provide proof of identity and Massachusetts residency and pass the required Massachusetts driver’s test, so they can become registered and insured.
“So many individuals and organizations across the Commonwealth helped to secure this win,” said Crisayda Belen, campaign manager for the Yes On 4 for Safer Roads campaign. “We are beyond grateful to all the labor unions, advocacy organizations, law enforcement leaders, and elected officials for their support, and we cannot thank enough the scores of volunteers who knocked on doors, made calls, and showed up over these past few weeks to win driver’s license access for all.”
“SEIU 1199 and our sisters and brothers in labor understand the needs of the hardworking families across this Commonwealth,” said SEIU 1199 Political Organizer Myra Badillo. “The Work and Family Mobility Act will increase road safety and allow people to get to work – often to essential jobs caring for others – plus it makes economic sense for Massachusetts. SEIU 1199 is proud to have joined this fight.”
“Massachusetts voters have reaffirmed our Commonwealth as a welcoming place that defends dignity and equity for all by voting Yes on 4,” said Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Tonight, we sent a message to the entire country: At a time when fundamental freedoms are being threatened nationally, we absolutely must preserve the protections we have secured at the state level.”
“On behalf of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Executive Council, and the nearly half a million members of our organization, I am exhilarated that Question 4 has passed,” said Steven A. Tolman, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “Work and Family Mobility is essential to working people and their families in Massachusetts and across the country. I applaud the legislature for passing this law earlier this year, and I commend the voters of our state for protecting it at the ballot box. This common sense law ensures that all drivers can be tested, licensed, and properly insured, thus creating safer roads for all Massachusetts drivers, whether they are traveling to work, getting their kids to school, or going to a medical appointment.”
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