Facing a ballot brimming with potentially seismic choices, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly want to eliminate the MCAS as a graduation requirement, allow the state auditor to investigate the Legislature, and, perhaps least surprising, make Kamala Harris the country’s next president, a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows.
But they’re torn on a range of other issues, including whether to make Massachusetts the third state to legalize psychedelics, including mushrooms.
With just weeks until the Nov. 5 election, the survey of 500 likely voters found that Massachusetts’ center-left electorate is grappling with economic pressures, fears for the fate of democracy, and a host of weighty choices that could unlock major changes in the state.
Nearly half of those polled said they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, though a vast majority — 61 percent — said they would support Harris, the second in command of the current Democratic administration, over Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump at 32 percent.
The numbers are on par with recent presidential candidates’ numbers in Massachusetts, a state that consistently delivers its 11 electoral votes to the Democratic ticket, and where Democrats hold every statewide elected office. President Biden earned 65 percent of the state’s voters in 2020, while Trump won about 32 percent.
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The wide margin in the Suffolk/Globe poll may also reflect what 31 percent of those surveyed shared as their top concern: the future of American democracy.
“Trump has shown us time and time again that he doesn’t put America first — he puts himself first,” said Kerri Beretta, a 41-year-old stay-at-home mom from North Reading and a Republican. She said Trump “incites hate” and put the country on a negative track that she believes will course-correct if Harris prevails.
“If Harris does win, after Trump finally goes away and removes himself from politics, I’m hoping we can get back to the way we used to be,” Beretta said. “We can finally not be so hateful and not give those people who have that narrow view such a large voice.”
Some Massachusetts voters, however, have pointed to key issues such as immigration and the economy in explaining why they plan to back Trump, despite the likelihood Harris will prevail here.
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Joyce Drake, a 55-year-old Republican from South Deerfield, said she does not trust the campaign promises coming from either candidate. But she plans to support Trump, saying that as the owner of an auto repair business, the economy “has affected the amount of repairs that we’re able to do because people can’t afford them.”
Nearly 39 percent of those polled said their personal financial situation has worsened over the past year, slightly outpacing those who said it has stayed the same or the 22 percent who said it’s improved.
“As a small business owner, we were much better off when he was in office than the last four years,” she said. “All I can hope for is that this country gets some change, that our economy improves, and people’s lives become a little more tolerable.”
A range of ballot questions could have more immediate impacts on the state. Roughly 58 percent of voters said they would support eliminating a requirement that students pass the MCAS examination to graduate high school, far outpacing the 37 percent who said they would vote to keep the mandate in place.
The measure, known as Question 2, is one of the most consequential on the ballot in Massachusetts, which by some measures boasts the best public school systems in the country. Despite that success, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and its leaders are leading the biggest revolt over testing in two decades, arguing the mandate puts too much focus on subjects tested by MCAS and creates too much anxiety and retesting of students.
The question speaks to the frustrations of many parents, including Felicia Torres, a 39-year-old Haverhill resident and mother of three. Her 9-year-old is smart, loves hockey, and enjoys math, but he “dreads and hates school” because he chafes at being taught “whatever they’re forced to learn,” she said.
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“I honestly don’t think that a standardized test depicts how well a child will do,” said Torres, a nurse. “I just don’t think it’s accurate.”
The bid to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement is riding huge advantages among female voters, with 64 percent saying they plan to vote “yes.” Perhaps most notably, 60 percent of independent voters also say they want to eliminate the mandate.
“That tells me it has an excellent chance of passing,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center.
Typically, he said, those who are undecided about a ballot question ultimately vote against it if they are confused by it or are unsure about its impact, effectively siding with the status quo. In the case of Question 2, only about 4 percent of voters said they were undecided.
The question has split Democratic leaders, with Governor Maura Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano, and Senate President Karen E. Spilka each opposed to eliminating the requirement while some members of Congress and state lawmakers joined the Massachusetts Teachers Union. But its support isn’t universal among teachers, either.
“You need some sort of tool and measurement stick in terms of how the school is performing,” said Luke, a 37-year-old Wakefield resident and eighth-grade social studies teacher who told pollsters he is voting against the question. He spoke on the condition his full name not be used. “If you’re going to still carry out the MCAS, how do you think students are going to take it seriously when you’re saying it doesn’t need to be a requirement?”
Other ballot questions have also drawn considerable support, the poll found. Nearly 71 percent of voters said they plan to support Question 1, which would grant state Auditor Diana DiZoglio the authority to investigate the Legislature.
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DiZoglio, a Democrat, has campaigned hard for the measure, casting the Democratic-led House and Senate, with whose leaders she has often clashed, as some of the most opaque legislative bodies in the country. Legislative leaders contend that auditing certain functions would violate the constitutional separation of powers.
The majority of voters also say they intend to vote “yes” on Question 3, which would allow transportation network drivers, such as Uber or Lyft drivers, to unionize. Nearly 59 percent support the measure, compared to 37 percent who don’t.
The most divisive questions are further down-ballot. Question 4, which would legalize natural psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin mushrooms, and allow those 21 or older to grow and possess limited quantities, has effectively split voters, the poll found.
About 47 percent of respondents said they would support their legalization, compared with 46 percent who would not. About 6 percent said they are undecided.
Kevin Murphy, a 51-year-old from Gardner, said he planned to vote yes, saying he has experienced PTSD and bipolar disorder and believes medical professionals should have more options for treatment. The question would allow people to both buy and ingest the substances at sites under the supervision of a licensed facilitator, but the proposal would otherwise prohibit retail sales elsewhere.
“I’m in favor of regulated psychedelics,” Murphy said. “Do I want to see dispensaries selling acid? No. Do I want doctors to have the option of experimenting with MDMA? Yes. I’m a medical mushrooms guy.”
Not all are comfortable with it. John Keating, a 68-year-old bank executive from Hanover, said he plans to vote against the question, pointing to concerns about drug overdoses across the state. He said his wife is a nurse at the Dana-Farber Institute, and often drives by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, which has long been ground zero in the city’s homelessness and opioid crises.
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“I don’t want psychedelics at all in the state,” he said. “Where we are today with marijuana, I think they’re doing a decent job with it, but I think if it goes any further, it’s careless and irresponsible.”
Massachusetts voters legalized cannabis in 2016.
About 52 percent of voters said they also would vote against Question 5, which would allow tipped restaurant servers to make the same $15 minimum wage as other workers. Nearly 40 percent of voters surveyed said they supported the measure, which has sparked an intense opposition from some restaurant owners.
The measure would also allow restaurants to create a “tip pool” that combines the tips given by customers to tipped workers and distributes them among all the workers. That piece convinced Joe Menize, a 56-year-old Tewksbury resident, to vote against it.
“I believe tips should be based on performance, not on a participation trophy,” said Menize, who said he previously worked as a room service attendant at a hotel.
The poll was conducted over five days, from Wednesday to Sunday, and its margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Live callers reached respondents via mobile and landline phones.
Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout. Anjali Huynh can be reached at anjali.huynh@globe.com.