Ballot stuffer: Mass. officials say record-tying nine questions slated to go before voters in November
Massachusetts voters, get ready for a record number of choices this November.
Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office on Friday said nine ballot questions are certified to appear on this fall’s general election ballot, which would match the single-year high last set in 1994.
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Proponents for eight proposals turned in enough signatures ahead of a July deadline, and a referendum to repeal a major state firearms law had previously met the requirements to make the ballot.
The fate of one ballot question is technically still up in the air. Opponents of a measure to repeal the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis have challenged signatures turned in by the petition’s supporters. A state panel is expected to issue a decision on the challenge by Wednesday, a spokesperson for Galvin’s office said.
The deluge of proposals could have been even larger before a series of legal decisions thinned the ballot.
In the span of less than a week last month, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court rejected questions that would establish rent control and slash the state income tax after finding Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office incorrectly certified the rent control measure and crafted a “significantly misleading” summary of the income tax proposal.
As for now, here are the nine proposals voters are expected to see on their November ballot:
“All party” primaries: A group of Massachusetts Democrats wants to eliminate the state’s party primaries and replace them with a system in which all primary candidates would be listed on a single ballot. Under the so-called “top two” system, voters could only vote for one candidate, and the top two candidates would advance to the general election.
Public records law: State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is leading an effort to expand the state’s public records law to include the governor’s office and the state Legislature. Lawmakers in both the state House and Senate have chafed at the idea of subjecting their chambers to the current’s public records law, while proponents argue it would bring more transparency to Beacon Hill.
Natural resources conservation: Nature-focused advocates are hoping voters approve a ballot question they say could raise more than $100 million to help preserve natural areas by tapping state taxes collected on the sale and use of sporting goods, golf courses, and recreational vehicles.
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Public defender unionization: Public defenders who are employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services would earn the right to collectively bargain under a ballot question backed by some of the state’s largest labor groups.
Election Day registration: Galvin himself is pushing a ballot question that would allow residents to register to vote on Election Day. Nearly two dozen states allow a version of same-day registration. But staunch opposition from Massachusetts House leaders has repeatedly killed past iterations of the proposal in the Legislature.
Starter homes: Backers of this proposal say it would make it easier to build so-called starter homes in the state by reshaping zoning laws to allow for the development of single-family homes on smaller lots.
Tax cap rewrite: Business groups are pushing a ballot question that would change the formula for Chapter 62F, or the automatic tax refund law most residents will likely remember from 2022, when it delivered $3 billion back to taxpayers.
The measure would change the law to include revenue from the state’s “millionaires tax” in calculating what tax collections would be capped at before triggering a refund. Supporters say this change would mean the law would be triggered more often.
Recreational cannabis repeal: The proposal asks voters whether to repeal state law legalizing, regulating, and taxing recreational cannabis sales, which was also passed by voter referendum in 2016. The sales generate hundreds of millions in annual tax revenue, and if successful, the initiative would mark the first time any state has reversed marijuana legalization.
Cannabis industry advocates challenged the second-round signatures turned in by repeal supporters. Galvin certified 12,511 second-round signatures — just slightly above the 12,429 required — offering a small margin of error as the state panel weighs the challenge.
Gun law repeal: Second Amendment supporters successfully placed a referendum on this year’s ballot to repeal some of the state’s gun control measures after collecting enough signatures in 2024. Both gun control advocates and gun rights activists believe the measure could serve as a trial balloon of sorts for using the ballot box to peel back firearms laws in other states.
Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report.
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