BOSTON — A plan to overturn a new Massachusetts law that will allow those without lawful presence in the country to receive driver’s licenses marked a milestone this week, when the secretary of state’s office informed petitioners they had gathered more than the required number of signatures to make the ballot.
“I can’t share that (exact) number, because it isn’t public, but I will confirm it is over 40,120,” a spokesperson for Secretary of State William Galvin’s office told the Boston Herald Thursday. “That being said, petitions could still be disqualified.”
Signatures have not yet been turned over to Galvin’s office, the spokesperson said, but the campaign has been notified of the numbers certified by local clerks.
Maureen Maloney started the signature drive in June, in response to a law the legislature had passed over the veto of Gov. Charlie Baker. The law, the Work and Family Mobility Act, will allow those without lawful presence in the United States to use home nation documentation to demonstrate their identity and go through the licensing process.
“I can confirm that Fair and Secure MA has obtained over 45k certified signatures for the referendum, and we still have thousands of petition signatures waiting to be certified” Maloney told the Herald via text message Thursday. “There has been a tremendous amount of public support for the repeal of the drivers licenses for illegal immigrants law.”
Proponents of the law maintain that it will make the roads safer by letting those who will need to drive anyway — for work or to buy necessities — participate in training and insurance programs.
Maloney’s reasoning for fighting the law by putting it before the voters of the commonwealth in November is personal.
Ecuadorian driver Nicolas Dutan Guaman struck Matthew Denice, Maloney’s son, who was on a motorcycle, with his pickup truck on Aug. 20, 2011. Denice, 23, became trapped underneath the truck and was dragged for a quarter-mile in Milford as witnesses screamed for Guaman to stop.
Guaman is serving a sentence of 12 to 14 years for OUI manslaughter.
Maloney told the Herald in June her son’s death ignited her call to activism and that she was fighting the new law to prevent any other mothers from suffering a similar fate.
Maloney has been working with the backing of Republican gubernatorial hopeful, former state Rep. Geoff Diehl. Amanda Orlando, Diehl’s campaign manager, said that credit is due to Maloney.
“Geoff Diehl and Leah Allen called for this ballot referendum, because they understood that the people of this state should have a say on this issue on the November ballot,” Orlando told the Herald.
“Kudos to Maureen Maloney, chairwoman of the ballot committee, and her team for an extraordinary effort. Our Diehl-Allen volunteers heeded the call and have been working hard for weeks to collect signatures, as this is a vital part of the Democratic process, and we honor and appreciate their commitment,” she said.
Galvin’s office said that signatures will need to be verified to make sure that they were gathered in accordance with state law.
“Each page will need to be reviewed for disqualifying marks and all signatures must be tallied by county,” the spokesperson said. “No more than 1/4 of needed signatures can come from one county. If 20,000 of those signatures were from Worcester County, for instance, only 10,030 would count.”
Signature gathering must be concluded by Wednesday.
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