Massachusetts 2024 ballot measures
 |
U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • Municipal • How to run for office |
 |
| 2024 Massachusetts Ballot Measures | |
|---|---|
2026 »
« 2022
| |
In 2024, five statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in Massachusetts for the election on November 5.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Public information; State executive; Legislative processes | Authorize the state auditor to audit the state legislature, and remove some existing regulations regarding the auditing process |
|
2,326,932 (72%) |
924,294 (28%) |
|
| Question 2 | Public education governance | Eliminate the requirement that students must pass the standards-based (MCAS) exam to graduate high school |
|
2,004,216 (59%) |
1,388,560 (41%) |
|
| Question 3 | Labor; Business | Provide for unionization and collective bargaining for transportation network drivers |
|
1,771,770 (54%) |
1,504,681 (46%) |
|
| Question 4 | Psychedelics; Drug crime | Allow persons 21 years of age or older to grow, possess, and use natural psychedelic substances, as well as establish a commission to regulate the licensing of psychedelic substances and services |
|
1,444,812 (43%) |
1,902,527 (57%) |
|
| Question 5 | Minimum wage | Increase the minimum wage for tipped employees to meet the state's standard minimum wage |
|
1,200,980 (36%) |
2,147,245 (64%) |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Massachusetts, citizens may propose initiated state statutes and initiated constitutional amendments. The power of initiative is indirect in Massachusetts, which means the Massachusetts General Court must consider any successful initiative proposals.
Once enough valid signatures are submitted, proposed statutory initiatives are presented to the legislature. Statutes may be adopted by the legislature by a majority vote in both houses. If a statute proposed by a valid initiative petition is not adopted, proponents must collect another, smaller round of signatures to place the statute on the ballot.
Initiated constitutional amendments— following the submission of enough signatures— must be approved by one-fourth of the legislature in two successive joint sessions to reach the ballot. No secondary batch of signatures is required.
Citizens may also challenge legislation passed by the state legislature in the form of a veto referendum.
The signature requirements for measures targeting the 2024 ballot in Massachusetts are as follows:
| Year | Amendment | Statute | Statute add-on | Veto referendum | Veto referendum (suspension of law) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 74,574 | 74,574 | 12,429 | 37,287 | 49,716 |
Prior to circulation, petitioners must file a preliminary petition with the attorney general. After an application is submitted, the attorney general must review the proposal to ensure that it complies with the state's subject restrictions. If it complies, proponents then submit the petition to the secretary of the commonwealth, and he or she drafts a summary of the proposed law to be included on the official petition form. This summary must be approved by the attorney general.
The deadline for proponents to file initiatives with the attorney general's office was 5:00 p.m. on August 2, 2023. Signatures must be submitted to local registrars of voters by two weeks before the first Wednesday in December of the year prior to the targeted election year. Local registrars of voters must submit certified signature petitions to the secretary of state by the first Wednesday in December.
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2024 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 22, 2023. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 6, 2023.
Legislature
- See also: Amending state constitutions
The Massachusetts General Court can also place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred constitutional amendments. Legislative referrals must receive majority approval in two successive joint legislative sessions to be placed on the ballot.
Historical facts
In Massachusetts, a total of 76 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2022. Forty-one (41) ballot measures were approved, and 35 ballot measures were defeated.
| Massachusetts statewide ballot measures, 1985-2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Ballot initiative certification rates
The following table shows the rate of certification for ballot initiatives in Massachusetts between 2010 and 2024:
| Massachusetts statewide ballot initiatives filed and certified, 2010-2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Ballot initiatives filed | Certified | |
| # | % | ||
| Averages | |||
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndISS | App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative | Labor and unions and Business regulation | Consider app-based drivers to be independent contractors and enacts several labor policies related to app-based companies | 
|
| IndICA | Public Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Between Government Officials and Candidates Amendment | Government accountability | Establishes an Office of Government Officers and Candidate Information and requires officers and candidates to submit their three most recent filed tax returns to be publicaly released |
|
| IndICA | Definition of a Corporation Amendment | Definition of a corporation | States that "corporations are not people" and requires corporations to disclose their campaign finance activity |
|
| IndICA | No-Excuse Absentee Voting Amendment | Voting policy measures | Authorizes the state legislature to provide by law for no-excuse absentee voting |
|
| IndISS | Limit Non-Ionizing Radiation from Technology Initiative | Business regulation | Limits non-ionizing radiation from technology, such as mobile phones, laptops, hearing aids, televisions, and tablets |
|
| IndISS | Chemical Regulation and Pollution Initiative | Business regulation and Environment | Requires companies prove the safety of chemicals, authorizes the state to ban groups or classes of similar substances, and establishes programs to reduce plastic pollution |
|
| IndISS | Regulations to Govern Technology Used by Children Initiative | Education | Requires the adoption of a version of California's Age Appropriate Design Code Bill (AB 2273) and removes the mandate that technology be used in curriculum in public schools |
|
| IndISS | Limit Campaign Contributions to Independent Expenditure Committees Initiative | Campaign finance | Limit individual campaign contributions to independent expenditure PACs to no more than $5,000 in one calendar year |
|
| IndISS | Gas Tax Credit Initiative | Transportation | Authorizes a gas tax credit |
|
| IndISS | Tax Credit for Zero-Emission Vehicles and Home Heating Systems and Home Solar Powered Electricity Initiative | Taxes and Environment | Authorizes tax credits for eligible purchases of zero-emission vehicles and home heating systems and home solar powered system |
|
| IndISS | Top-Five Ranked Choice Voting Initiative | Electoral systems | Establish a nonpartisan top-five ranked-choice voting system for the office of U.S. senator, U.S. representative, governor, lieutenant governor, councilor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and receiver-general, auditor, and state legislators |
|
| IndISS | Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative | Campaign finance | Prohibit election spending by a foreign-influenced business entity as defined in the law |
|
| IndISS | Establish Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting and Voter Registration Initiative | Electoral systems and Voting policy | Establish a nonpartisan top-five ranked-choice voting system and change voter registration policies |
|
| IndISS | Establish Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting and Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative | Electoral systems and Campaign finance | Establish a nonpartisan top-five ranked-choice voting system and prohibit election spending by a foreign-influenced business entity as defined in the law |
|
| IndISS | Definition of a Person Initiative | Constitutional rights | Define person, man, and woman in state law |
|
| IndISS | Local Governance of Rental Properties Initiative | Housing | Authorize local governments to regulate rent, evictions, and removal of housing units from the rental market |
|
| IndISS | Voter Photo Identification Initiative | Voting policy | Require photo identification to vote |
|
| IndISS | Gas Tax Exemption Initiative | Taxes | Exempts the purchase of unleaded or diesel gas from the state's gas tax if it is sold at a certain price level |
|
| IndISS | Changes to Voter Registration Policies Initiative | Voting policy | Provide for local events and mobile registration units for voter registration |
|
| IndISS | Same-Day Voter Registration Initiative | Voting policy | Establishes same-day voter registration |
|
| IndISS | Establish Indigenous Peoples Day Initiative | History, culture and the arts | Establish Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday in October |
|
| IndISS | Public Health and Epidemiology Education Initiative | Education | Provide for instruction and the development of a curriculum and textbooks for public elementary and secondary schools regarding public health and epidemiology |
|
| IndISS | Radiation Limits for Technology and Wireless Facilities Initiative | Business regulation | Establish radiation limits for technology devices and wireless facilities |
|
| IndISS | Comprehensive Assessment System Replacement Initiative | Education | Replaces the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) |
|
State profile
| Demographic data for Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,784,240 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,800 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 40.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $68,563 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.1% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Massachusetts voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Massachusetts coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Massachusetts
- United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts
- Public policy in Massachusetts
- Endorsers in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2024 ballot measures
- List of Massachusetts ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts General Court
External links
 |
State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
