By DAN RING

dring@repub.com



BOSTON - Voters on Tuesday resoundingly defeated a ballot proposal to eliminate the state income tax, saying it would force radical cuts in government services.



A ballot question to decriminalize the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana passed by a landslide, dealing a defeat to prosecutors, sheriffs and police chiefs who lined up against the measure. With 70 percent of precincts in the state reporting, voters approved the marijuana proposal by 65 to 35 percent.



Voters also passed by 56 to 44 percent a ballot question that sought to close the state's two greyhound race tracks and prevent others from opening.



Election Day 2008

By 69 to 31 percent, voters killed Question 1, which aimed to abolish the 5.3 percent state income tax over two years. Voters defeated the ballot proposal by a much wider margin than in 2002, when a similar measure faced no organized opposition and received 45 percent of the vote. "I feel thrilled that voters defeated this irresponsible question," said Pamela C. Schwartz, of Northampton, coordinator in Western Massachusetts for the effort to defeat Question 1. Carla A. Howell, chairwoman of the Committee for Small Government, which sponsored the tax-cutting ballot proposal, said she wasn't surprised by the results given the millions of dollars public employee unions spent in opposition.

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"We knew it was David versus Goliath," Howell said.



The Coalition for Our Communities, which led the opposition to Question 1, spent $3.6 million, or 10 times the money of the question's sponsors, according to campaign reports through Oct. 20.



Whitney A. Taylor, campaign manager for the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, said approval of Question 2 means police can spend more time and money on serious crimes and that people won't get a damaging criminal record for a minor offense.



"I'm very proud of the campaign we ran," Taylor said. "We were able to get the truth out. The voters paid attention to the facts."



The proposal replaces the criminal penalties for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana with a civil fine of $100, or something akin to receiving a speeding ticket.



Passage of Question 3 calls for ending dog racing on Jan. 1, 2010. Unless state legislators and the governor repeal or amend the ballot law, Raynham Park and Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere would close.



Christine A. Dorchak, co-chairwoman of the Committee to Protect Dogs, credited 3,000 volunteers around the state who collected signatures to place the question on the ballot. Voters defeated a similar referendum in 2000, but this year supporters said they were armed with more data on injuries to dogs at the tracks.



Glenn P. Totten, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Animal Interest Coalition, which opposed Question 3, said he was disappointed. He said 1,000 people will lose their jobs if the two dog tracks close.



As they emerged from the polling places in Western Massachusetts, voters said they cast ballots against abolishing the income tax because it would mean sweeping reductions in police, fire, education and health care.



"Services should continue for low-income people," said Lydia Sanchez, 48, a supervisor at a community health center in Springfield, who voted to preserve the income tax at the New North Family Care Center in Springfield.



Walter J. Kiel, 60, of Ludlow, said he also voted "no" on Question 1. "It would just be too much of a hit," Kiel, a self-employed landscaper, said after voting at Ludlow High School. "It would impact too many people."



Supporters said they wanted to send a message to Beacon Hill that taxes are too high. In Palmer, Theresa M. Watkins, 47, a mother of two, said she voted yes on Question 1 because taxes and other costs of living are already too high.



"People are trying to survive," said Watkins, after voting at the Converse Middle School.



Money was also behind approval of the other ballot questions.



The Committee for a Sensible Marijuana Policy, bankrolled with $400,000 from wealthy businessman George Soros, spent $570,000, almost 20 times more than opponents.



A spokesman for the Coalition for Safe Streets, which opposed Question 2, cited the spending by proponents of Question 2 as a key reason for its passage.



Police and prosecutors said decriminalizing marijuana sends the wrong message to teenagers and can be a gateway to use of more serious illegal drugs.



Supporters of a ban on dog racing spent $670,000, with much of the money going toward emotional television ads about the plight of the animals.



Supporters said it was a clear case of the need to protect animals.



"Dog racing is cruel and abusive," said Joanne M. McDiarmid, of Palmer, an English teacher at Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical High School in Palmer who has two pet dogs. "I also love animals."