Massachusetts Require Availability of Analog Utility Meters Initiative (2026)
| Massachusetts Require Availability of Analog Utility Meters Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Utility policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Not on the ballot
The Massachusetts Require Availability of Analog Utility Meters Initiative is not on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
The ballot initiative would have required utility meter providers to provide analog meters, without an additional fee, at the request of customers. It would also have prohibited utility companies from installing a wireless meter without customer consent.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the initiative can be read here.
Path to the ballot
Process in Massachusetts
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 3% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Massachusetts also has a distribution requirement that requires no more than 25% of the certified signatures on any petition can come from a single county.
The state Legislature has until the first Wednesday of May in the election year to pass the statute. If the legislature does not pass the proposed statute, proponents must collect a second round of signatures equal to 0.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The Legislature also has the power to place an alternative measure alongside the proposed statute via a simple majority vote of the state legislature.
A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 30% of the votes cast in the election.
The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures (first round): 74,574
- Signatures (second round): 12,429
- Deadline (first round): The deadline to submit the first round of signatures to the secretary of state was December 3, 2025.
- Deadline (second round): The deadline to submit the second round of signatures is July 8, 2026.
Stages of the ballot initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[2]
- August 7, 2025: The Massachusetts Attorney General announced that the initiative had been filed.
- September 3, 2025: The Massachusetts Attorney General announced that the initiative had been cleared and that supporters could begin gathering signatures for the initiative.
- December 3, 2025: As of this date, the submission deadline, the campaign had not submitted sufficient signatures in support of the measure.[3] As such, it was not placed on the 2026 ballot.
- January 5, 2026: The Massachusetts Secretary of State announced that petitioners had submitted a total of 111 signatures in support of the measure, failing to meet the required 74,574 signatures.[4]
External links
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Massachusetts.
Explore Massachusetts's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
Footnotes
- ↑ Mass.gov, "An Initiative Petition for a Law to Guarantee Analog Utility Meter Availability and Informed Consent for Wireless Metering," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Mass.gov, "Ballot Initiatives Submitted for the 2026 Biennial Statewide Election (proposed laws) and 2028 Biennial Statewide Election (proposed constitutional amendments)," accessed August 6, 2025
- ↑ WBUR, "Massachusetts could see a record number of ballot questions in 2026. Here's a preview," accessed December 4, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "State Elections Division Certifies Final Ballot Question Signature Totals," accessed January 8, 2026
