Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Signature requirements for ballot measures in Massachusetts
This page details signature requirements for statewide ballot measures in Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, petitions signed by a certain number of registered voters can be used to propose initiated state statutes and initiated constitutional amendments. The power of initiative is indirect in Massachusetts, which means the legislature gets a chance to consider any successful initiative proposals. A statute proposed through the initiative power must be considered by the legislature. If the legislature fails to adopt a proposed statute, a second round of signatures can be collected to force the proposal onto the ballot. For initiated constitutional amendments, however, no second round of signatures can be used; one-fourth of the state's legislators must approve any amendment proposed through initiative for the amendment to reach the ballot.
|
|---|
| Laws • History |
| List of measures |
Signature requirements
Since Massachusetts employs an indirect initiated state statute process for initiative statutes, the state's general court has an opportunity to adopt proposed laws before they move to a popular vote. However, unlike other states, Massachusetts requires additional signatures following legislative inaction on state statutes. Following the submission of enough signatures, initiated constitutional amendments must be approved by a quarter of the legislature in two joint sessions to reach the ballot. No secondary batch of signatures is required.
For an amendment or statute, submitted signatures must equal 3 percent of votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election, excluding blanks. If the legislature declines to act on a proposed statute, supporters are required to collect a second round of signatures totaling 0.5 percent of the votes last cast for governor, excluding blanks. For proposed amendments, one-quarter of the legislature must approve the petition in a joint session—a second round of signatures is not required and does not overrule rejection by more than three-quarters of the legislature.
For a veto referendum, signatures must equal 1.5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. If the petitioners submit a written request for the suspension of the targeted law prior to the referendum election, signatures equal to 2 percent of the total votes last cast for governor are required to both suspend the law and force an election.
No more than one-quarter (18,644) of the certified signatures on the initiative or referendum petitions may come from any one county.[1]
The chart below shows election years and the signature requirement for initiatives designed to appear on the ballot in that year, with gubernatorial election years bolded. Since initiated constitutional amendments require approval by one-quarter of legislators in two legislative sessions to reach the ballot, successful initiated constitutional amendment petitions result in a ballot measure put before voters at least two years—but most commonly three years—after signatures are submitted. Thus, the signature requirement for an initiative amendment is determined by the voter turnout in the gubernatorial election held at least two years before the election date of the amendment.
Since constitutional amendments need to be voted on by the legislature in two successive sessions, the signature requirement for constitutional amendments lags behind that of statutes by one cycle.
| Year | Amendment | Statute | Statute add-on | Veto referendum | Veto referendum (suspension of law) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74,574 | 74,574 | 12,429 | 37,287 | 49,716 |
| 2024 | 80,238 | 74,574 | 12,429 | 37,287 | 49,716 |
| 2022 | 80,238 | 80,238 | 13,374 | 40,119 | 53,492 |
| 2020 | 64,750 | 80,238 | 13,374 | 40,119 | 53,492 |
| 2018 | 64,750 | 64,750 | 10,792 | 32,375 | 43,167 |
| 2016 | 68,911[2] | 64,750 | 10,792 | 32,375 | 43,167 |
| 2014 | 68,911 | 68,911 | 11,485 | 34,456 | 45,941 |
| 2012 | 66,593[3] | 68,911 | 11,485 | 34,456 | 45,941 |
| 2010 | 66,593 | 66,593 | 11,099 | 33,297 | 44,396 |
| 2008 | 66,609[4] | 66,593 | 11,099 | 33,297 | 44,396 |
See law: Massachusetts Constitution, Article XLVIII, Parts IV-V & Article LXXXI, Section 2
Changes in number of required signatures
The chart below illustrates the changes in the number of required signatures for Massachusetts ballot measures from 2008 to 2026.
Basis for calculation
To qualify an initiative—whether an initiated state statute or an initiated constitutional amendment—for consideration by the state legislature, signatures equal to 3 percent of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election must be collected. A second round of signatures equal to 0.5 percent of the votes last cast for governor must be collected to push an initiated state statute on to the ballot if the legislature does not enact it. For initiated constitutional amendments, one-quarter of the legislature must vote in favor to put the proposed amendment on the ballot. Massachusetts features the signature requirement for initiated constitutional amendments with the lowest percentage out of all the states that feature the power of initiative. Below is a list of the total number of votes cast in Massachusetts gubernatorial races from 2010 to the present:[5]
| Year | Votes cast for governor |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,485,800 |
| 2018 | 2,674,615 |
| 2014 | 2,158,326 |
| 2010 | 2,297,039 |
Distribution requirement
- See also: Distribution requirement
For both initiatives and referendums, no more than 25 percent of certified signatures may be from one county.
Signature deadlines
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. The deadlines for initial signature petitions required for initiated constitutional amendments and initiated state statutes are listed below for 2010 to the present.
2026
Initiated constitutional amendments:
- Deadline (2023 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2024 and 2025 sessions is December 6, 2023.
- Deadline (2024 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2025 and 2026 sessions is December 4, 2024.
2024
Initiated constitutional amendments:
- Deadline (2021 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2022 and 2023 sessions is December 1, 2021.
- Deadline (2022 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2023 and 2024 sessions is December 7, 2022.
2022
Initiated constitutional amendments:
- Deadline (2019 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2020 and 2021 sessions is December 4, 2019.
- Deadline (2020 petitions): The deadline to submit signatures for consideration by the legislature in 2021 and 2022 sessions is December 2, 2020.
2020
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2020 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 20, 2019. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 4, 2019.
2018
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2018 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 22, 2017. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 6, 2017.
2016
- See also: Petition drive deadlines, 2016
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2016 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 18, 2015. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 2, 2015.[6]
2014
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2014 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 20, 2013. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 4, 2013.
2012
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2012 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 23, 2011. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 7, 2011.
2010
In order to qualify initiatives for the 2010 ballot in Massachusetts, signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars of voters by November 18, 2009. Certified petitions needed to be provided to the secretary of state by December 2, 2009.
See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Massachusetts
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
- History of Initiative & Referendum in Massachusetts
- States where signature requirements are based on votes cast for governor
- Walsh v. Secretary of the Commonwealth
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth, "State Ballot Question Petitions," accessed December 1, 2021
- ↑ The number displayed here was the requirement for petitions submitted in 2013. A petition submitted in 2014 could also have made the 2016 ballot, and the signature requirement for such a petition would have been 64,750 as determined by the 2014 gubernatorial election.
- ↑ The number displayed here was the requirement for petitions submitted in 2009. A petition submitted in 2010 could also have made the 2012 ballot, and the signature requirement for such a petition would have been 68,911 as determined by the 2010 gubernatorial election.
- ↑ The number displayed here was the requirement for petitions submitted in 2005. A petition submitted in 2006 could also have made the 2008 ballot, and the signature requirement for such a petition would have been 66,593 as determined by the 2006 gubernatorial election.
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "Historical Election Returns," accessed July 27, 2011
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "State Ballot Question Petitions," accessed July 27, 2015
