Massachusetts 2026 ballot measures

2026 Massachusetts Ballot Measures
2028 » « 2024

As of September 11, 2025, one statewide ballot measure was certified for the ballot in Massachusetts for the election on November 3, 2026.

On the ballot

See also: 2026 ballot measures

Type	Title	Subject	Description
VR	Firearm Regulations Referendum	Firearms	Uphold the legislation, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws (H. 4885), passed in 2024

Potential measures

Type	Name	Subject	Description
IndICA	Right to Privacy Amendment	Constitutional rights	Establishes a right to privacy in the state constitution
IndICA	Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Amendment	Voting rights for persons with criminal convictions	Repeal the article of the state constitution that prohibits felons from voting
IndICA	Recall of Statewide, Countywide, and Districtwide Elected Officials Amendment	Recall process	Establish a recall process for statewide, countywide, and districtwide elected officials
IndICA	Joint Bill Committees and State Legislature Compensation Amendment	Salaries of government officials	Provide for joint bill committees and require equal legislative compensation
IndISS	Prohibit Government from Banning Single-Family Residences in Residential Zoning Districts Initiative	Land use and development policy	Prohibit the government, state and local, from limiting or banning the construction of single-family residences in any zoning district that allows residential use
IndISS	Require Voter Photo ID Initiative	Voter ID policy	Require photo identification in order to cast a ballot
IndISS	Classify the Central Registry of Voters as a Public Record Initiative	Open meetings and public information	Make the state voter registry information a public record and permit any individual to request the data held therein
IndISS	Permit Same-Day Voter Registration Initiative	Voter registration	Permit same-day voter registration in the state
IndISS	Prohibit Annual Increases of More Than 5% in Rent Initiative	Rent control and regulations	Establish a rent control policy in the state so no rent could increase by more than 5% annually
IndISS	Require Human Operators in Self-Driving Vehicles in the Transportation Industry Initiative	Vehicle and driver regulations	Require self-driving vehicles to have a human safety operator in the vehicle
IndISS	Repeal Multi-Family Zoning Requirements in MBTA Communities Initiative	Land use and development policy and Housing development funding	Repeal the 2021 MBTA zoning law
IndISS	Alter Marijuana Regulation Laws Initiative	Marijuana laws	Repeal laws that permit the sale of recreational marijuana, among other changes
IndISS	Top-Two Primary Elections Initiative	Primary election systems	Eliminate political party primaries for state elections and replace them with a single 'top-two' primary election
IndISS	Require that the State Legislature's and Governor's Documents are Public Records Initiative	Open meetings and public information	Declare that all records of the state legislature and the office of the governor are public records, with a few exceptions
IndISS	Establish a Nature for All Fund Initiative	Revenue allocation and Parks, land, and natural area conservation	Declare that all records of the state legislature and the office of the governor are public records, with a few exceptions
IndISS	Change State Tax Revenue Limit Initiative	Revenue and spending limits	Change the limit of how much tax revenue the state can collect each year
IndISS	Decrease State Income Tax Rate to 4% Initiative	Income taxes	Incrementally decrease the state income tax limit from 5% to 4% by 2029
IndISS	Permit Collective Bargaining for Committee for Public Counsel Services Employees Initiative	Collective bargaining	Permit employees of the CPCS to collectively bargain
IndISS	Decrease State Sales and Use Tax Initiative	Sales taxes	Decrease the state sales and use taxes to 5.00%
IndISS	Create a Tax Credit for Electric Vehicles and Heat and Solar Power Systems Initiative	Income taxes	Create an income tax credit for taxpayers who buy an electric vehicle, an energy storage system, a heat and solar power systems
IndISS	Change the Threshold for Larceny Sentencing Calculations Initiative	Criminal sentencing	Make larceny of property valued at $600 or more punishable by up to five years in prison, or by a fine of up to $25,000 and up to two years in prison
IndISS	Eliminate the State Fuel Tax Initiative	Fuel taxes	Eliminate the state gas tax by 2036
IndISS	Limit Property Tax Increases for Residential and Commercial Parcels Initiative	Property taxes	Limit property tax increases by stating that property taxes can not be more than 102.5% of the property tax assessed for the previous year
IndISS	Allow for Expanded Eligibility in Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Initiative	Paid sick leave laws	Allow employees who are exempt from PFML benefits to opt-in to pay into the PFML program
IndISS	Provide Legal Representation for Foreclosure and Eviction Proceedings Initiative	Civil trials	Create a program which would provide legal representation in eviction and foreclosure proceedings
IndISS	Declare that Zoning and Land Use are Local Matters Initiative	Land use and development policy	Declare that zoning and land use are primary, though not exclusive, matters of local controls
IndISS	Prohibit the State from Requiring Dense Zoning Districts Initiative	Land use and development policy	Prohibit the state from requiring that any city or town have a zoning district that allows six or more units in one acre of land
IndISS	Alter the Process for Municipal Zoning Legislation Initiative	Land use and development policy	Make a number of changes to the process for changing or creating local zoning laws, including requiring a 2/3 approval from the legislative body
IndISS	Eliminate Legislative Stipends Initiative	Salaries of government officials	Eliminate stipends for legislators that are provided in addition to their base salaries
IndISS	Change the Policies for Legislative Stipends Initiative	Salaries of government officials	Change the process of awarding stipends for legislators that are provided in addition to their base salaries
IndISS	Require Technological Corporations to Make Design Choices that Reduce Electromagnetic Radiation Initiative	Energy conservation and efficiency and Energy market regulations	Require companies to make technological decisions that reduce electromagnetic radiation
IndISS	Require Written Consent for Charges in Delivering Utilities Initiative	Utility policy	Require electric and gas companies to receive written consent for any charges they collect that are not directly related to the physical delivery of gas or electricity
IndISS	Prohibit Revenue Decoupling Mechanisms for Utilities Companies Initiative	Utility policy	Ban the use of revenue decoupling mechanisms for utility companies regulated by the Department of Public Utilities
IndISS	Require Availability of Analog Utility Meters Initiative	Utility policy	Require water, gas, and electric companies to provide an analog meter at a customer's request

Getting measures on the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Massachusetts

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.

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.

Not on the ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndICA	State Legislature Compensation Amendment	Salaries of government officials	Require the same compensation for all legislative members equal to a living wage
IndISS	Require Mail-In Voters to Comply with Absentee Ballot Procedures Initiative	Absentee and mail voting	Require voters that want to vote early by mail to vote according to the absentee ballot procedures

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

See also: Presidential voting trends in Massachusetts

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

• 2026 ballot measures
• List of Massachusetts ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts General Court

External links

• Massachusetts Secretary of State Elections Division