47 Massachusetts Ballot Initiative Petitions Submitted

5 Constitutional Amendments and 42 Laws

On August 6th, 19 groups filed 47 initiative petitions for proposed constitutional amendments and laws with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

The AGO will decide whether the initiative petitions meet constitutional requirements. Certification decisions are expected to be released on September 3.

If certified, the initiative’s proponents are required to gather and file with the State Secretary the signatures of 74,574 registered voters by December 3. 

Once these signatures are verified, the proposal is sent to the state Legislature in January 2026. If the legislature does not enact the proposal, proponents must gather an additional 12,429 signatures from registered voters by July 1, 2026, to place the initiative on the November 2026 ballot.  

The process for constitutional amendments is different. They require approval by at least 25 percent of two consecutive joint sessions of the legislature. Accordingly, such proposals cannot appear on the ballot before November 2028.  

Here are all the petitions handed in on August 6th with their links. If they make it to ballot, you will be able to vote for or against them.

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

• Voting Rights

• Public Funding of Abortion

• Extending the People’s Right of Self-Government

• Recall Elections for Statewide, Countywide, and Districtwide Elected Officers

• Fair and Accountable Legislature

Proposed Laws

• Allow Single-Family Homes on Small Lots in Areas with Adequate Infrastructure

• Require Voter Identification in Massachusetts – Version A

• Require Voter Identification in Massachusetts – Version B

• Require Compliance with the Current Absentee Ballot Procedure for Early Mail-in Voting in Massachusetts

• Classify the Content of the Massachusetts Central Registry of Voters as Public Records

• Election Day Registration

• Regulating Marijuana – Version A

• Regulating Marijuana – Version B

• Implement All-Party State Primaries – Version A

• Implement All-Party State Primaries – Version B

• Implement All-Party State Primaries – Version C

• Improve Access to Public Records

• Protect Water & Nature – Version A

• Protect Water & Nature – Version B

• Limiting State Tax Collection Growth and Returning Surpluses to Taxpayers

• Reducing the State Personal Income Tax Rate from 5% to 4%

• Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases

• Labor Relations Policies for Committee for Public Counsel Services Employees

• Reducing the Burden of Sales and Use Taxes

• Zero Emission Vehicles, Zero Emission Home Heating Systems, and Home Solar Powered Electricity

• Safety of Autonomous Vehicles

• Larceny, including Shoplifting

• End the Gas Tax

• Cap Residential and Commercial Property Tax Increases

• Expanding Eligibility for Paid Family and Medical Leave

• Provide the Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings

• Provide the Right to Counsel in Eviction and Foreclosure Proceedings

• Repeal MBTA Zoning

• Preserving Local Control of Zoning

• Prevent Overdevelopment

• Reforming the Zoning Process

• Eliminate Legislative Stipends

• Reform and Regulate Legislative Stipends

• Corporate Radiation Limits

• Corporate Radiation Limits and Compliance

• Corporate Radiation Limits, Compliance, and Legal Challenge

• Promote Consent and Transparency in Utility Billing

• Eliminate Revenue-Based Reconciliation in Utility Rate Structures

• Guarantee Analog Utility Meter Availability and Informed Consent for Wireless Metering

• Promote Consent and Transparency in Electric Utility Billing – Version A

• Promote Consent and Transparency in Electric Utility Billing – Version B

• Promote Consent and Transparency in Gas Utility Billing

Author: Kathy Lynch is Republican State Committeewoman in the Worcester and Middlesex District and National Director for the Massachusetts Republican Assembly. You can reach her at https://www.votekathylynch.com/contact.html.