Massachusetts Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Amendment (2026)
| Massachusetts Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Suffrage | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Amendment (#23-10) may appear on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated constitutional amendment on November 5, 2026.
The initiative would repeal the article of the state constitution that prohibits felons from voting.[1][2]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
An indirect initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. There are two states – Massachusetts and Mississippi – that allow citizens to initiate indirect constitutional amendments.
While a direct initiated constitutional amendment is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiated constitutional amendment is first presented to the state legislature, which has various options depending on the state.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated constitutional amendment 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.
If the petition meets the signature requirements, 25% of the Legislature in two joint sessions must approve the amendment to send it to the ballot. The petition may be amended by a 75% vote of the Legislature. Unlike indirect initiated state statutes in Massachusetts, a second round of signatures is not required. The state Legislature also has the power to place an alternative measure alongside the proposed amendment via a simple majority vote.
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.
Details about this initiative
- The initiative was filed by Katie Talbot in July 2023.[2]
- On September 6, 2023, the initiative was cleared for signature gathering.[2]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
