BOSTON —
The September 2026 primary election could be the last in Massachusetts to be divided by political party if voters approve a ballot question and switch to a nonpartisan process.
A yes vote would transform the system into a single primary election in which all candidates appear on one ballot and the top two, regardless of party, would advance to the general election. This would be similar to the preliminary election process held in the city of Boston for jobs like mayor and the system in use in California.
While Massachusetts is considered a “blue state,” a growing number of voters are not registering as members of any party.
According to the state’s voter information book, proponents argue that changing the structure of primary elections would give more power to the voters.
“All-Party Primaries will bring accountability and transparency to Massachusetts politics by making elections more competitive, forcing politicians to listen,” Danielle Allen, of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy, wrote in her argument in support of the measure.
Opponents, including Vanessa Snow of Voter Rights MA, argue that the system could lead to two members of the same party advancing to the general election in November.
“Similar top-two systems in California and Washington have favored wealthy, self-funded candidates who can out-advertise crowded fields and the corporate PACs seeking to purchase offices, while sidelining grassroots candidates and historically marginalized and underrepresented groups such as candidates of color and women,” Snow wrote.
Question 3 is one of the nine ballot questions that Bay State voters will face in this general election, making for unusually lengthy ballots.
History of ballot questions in Massachusetts
Voters will face nine ballot questions in November, tying the record for the most ever to appear on Bay State ballots since the 1918 amendment to the state constitution that created the procedure.
Topics for the ballot questions this year range from the workings of government and elections to whether state laws about firearms and marijuana should be repealed.
Voters have only faced a ballot with nine statewide questions three prior times, in 1994, 1976 and 1972. There’s never been an election with more than nine ballot questions.
According to data from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office, voters have approved 115 of the 192 ballot questions presented since the process was introduced.
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Questions on the 2026 ballot
The ballot questions will appear in this order on the ballots:
Approval of this question would make most records held by the governor’s office and the Legislature public under the state’s records law. It is being pushed by Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who also backed a successful 2024 ballot question about her office’s ability to audit the Legislature. While her previous measure passed, the subject has remained a hotbed of disagreement between DiZoglio and legislative leaders. There is no organized opposition group for Question 1.
More than a year after Massachusetts bar advocates launched a lengthy work stoppage that derailed the prosecutions of nearly 2,000 defendants, voters are being asked whether employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services are permitted to engage in collective bargaining. The employees are not currently allowed to unionize, but a yes vote would grant that option.
The September 2026 primary could be the last in Massachusetts to be divided by political party, if voters approve this ballot question. A yes vote would transform the system into a single primary election in which all candidates appear on one ballot and the top two, regardless of party, would advance to the general election. This would be similar to the preliminary election process held in the city of Boston for jobs like mayor and the system in use in California.
While Massachusetts law currently requires voters to register or update their registration 10 days before any election or town meeting, a yes vote on this measure would allow eligible citizens to register at their polling place on Election Day. To register at a polling place, the voter would need to provide identification or documentation of their address and agree to an oath acknowledging that voting elsewhere or providing false information would constitute a felony. Other New England states already allow same-day registration. The opposition to the measure comes from the Massachusetts Republican Party.
Voters are being asked whether the state’s ability to increase revenue should be capped, and whether any excess money should be returned to residents. A yes vote would set the revenue limit based on the total collected in the prior year plus the three-year average growth of residents’ wages. In 2022, taxpayers received a refund under a 1986 tax cap law known as Chapter 62F. This ballot question would modify Chapter 62F by including revenues collected through the Fair Share Amendment, which created a surtax on annual incomes over $1 million.
Voters are being asked whether they want to create a Nature for All Fund that could receive taxes collected from the sale or use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses. A yes vote would also establish a 15-member board responsible for deciding how the money should be spent in support of towns, charities, tribal governments or other groups involved in the conservation of natural resources. State fiscal estimates indicate the measure could potentially divert “tens of millions” from the state’s operating budget to the new fund and create “substantial implementation costs.” Mass Audubon is supporting the question, which has no organized opposition.
Single-family homes would be allowed on smaller lots if voters approve this question. It would allow homes to be constructed in residentially zoned areas with lots of at least 5,000 square feet and at least 50 feet of land bordering the street or public way. Access to public sewer and water services would also be required. Advocates for the measure say it would help first-time homebuyers access starter homes, while the opposition argues it would override local planning without regard for existing neighborhoods or infrastructure.
Ten years after Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, this question seeks to reverse the state’s policy. A yes vote on this proposal would still permit adults age 21 or older to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana but would end legal retail sales while offering existing businesses an opportunity to convert to being medical marijuana facilities. Supporters of the measure argue that the state is spending more than four times the revenue gained from retail marijuana on resulting expenses like healthcare, while opponents argue it would kill small businesses and cut off a source of revenue for municipalities.
Numerous changes to Massachusetts gun laws, which were originally approved by the state Legislature in 2024, are linked together in this measure. It includes penalties for so-called “ghost guns,” allows school administrators or healthcare providers to ask a court to remove someone’s firearms under the state’s red flag law, expands the definition of a “machine gun,” and requires the creation of a public dashboard for state firearm data. A yes vote would keep the law on the books and a no vote would repeal it.
How questions get on the ballot
To reach the ballot, the committees backing each ballot question needed to collect and submit at least 74,574 signatures last fall. Then, in lieu of action by the Legislature, they had to meet a July 1 deadline to file at least 12,429 additional signatures.
Once they met all the requirements, the questions were organized on the ballot.
“The questions were ordered in a manner intended to maximize space on the ballot, with the length of the question summaries being the primary consideration,” the Elections Division said in a statement.
While ballots across the state will be lengthy, the final number of pages in each community will also depend on the number of offices and candidates on the ballot in that location.
