Massachusetts voters will decide 9 statewide measures in 2026. The full list is below, all on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Summaries below stick to the certified ballot language, with no editorializing.
Initiated state statute
Supports making the governor's office and the Legislature subject to the public records law.
Keeps their current exemptions from the public records law in place.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Make records of the governor's office and the Legislature subject to the state public records law
Initiated state statute
Supports letting public defenders and CPCS staff form a union and bargain collectively.
Keeps current law, under which they cannot bargain collectively.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Allow attorneys and staff of the Committee for Public Counsel Services to unionize and bargain collectively
Initiated state statute
Supports a single all-candidate primary in which the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party.
Keeps the current separate party primary system.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Replace separate party primaries with a single primary open to all candidates, with the top two finishers advancing to November
Initiated state statute
Supports allowing same-day voter registration through election day.
Keeps the current advance registration deadline.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Allow eligible residents to register and vote on the same day, including on election day
Initiated state statute
Supports the new revenue-cap formula based on actual prior-year collections and wage growth.
Keeps the current formula, which builds on the prior year's limit.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Recalculate the state tax revenue cap from actual prior-year net revenue plus wage and salary growth, with excess revenue returned to taxpayers
Initiated state statute
Supports creating the dedicated conservation fund.
Opposes creating the fund, leaving conservation funding to the regular budget process.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Create a Nature for All Fund dedicated to natural resource conservation
Initiated state statute
Supports allowing single-family homes on qualifying smaller lots.
Keeps current local minimum lot requirements in place.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Allow municipalities to permit single-family homes on residentially zoned lots of at least 5,000 square feet with 50 feet of frontage and public sewer and water
Initiated state statute
Supports ending retail recreational marijuana sales and home cultivation.
Keeps the recreational marijuana system voters approved in 2016.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Repeal retail sales and home cultivation of adult-use recreational marijuana while setting possession limits and civil penalties
Veto referendum
Supports upholding the 2024 firearms law, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws (H. 4885), keeping it in effect.
Supports repealing that 2024 firearms law.
YES supports this change · NO keeps current law
Uphold the legislation, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws (H. 4885), passed in 2024
These measures appear on every ballot in the state. See your full ballot with your ZIP code
Browse the full Massachusetts voter guide → · Massachusetts primary date →
Massachusetts uses an indirect initiative: petitions for statutes or constitutional amendments need signatures equal to 3 percent of the last gubernatorial vote (74,574 for 2026, with no more than a quarter from one county) and go to the Legislature first. If lawmakers decline an initiative statute, sponsors collect a smaller second round (12,429) to force it onto the ballot; amendment petitions instead need support from a quarter of legislators in two successive joint sessions. Questions pass by simple majority, provided yes votes also equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast.
Titles and summaries follow each state's certified measure list from its election office or legislature, with links to the full text. Measure lists can change until final certification; always confirm with your state election office.