Ballot measure · Massachusetts · November 3, 2026

Question 1

Title as the state lists it: Expanding the Public Records Law1,2

Research draftCitizen initiativeState law
How it got there
Citizen initiative
Kind of measure
State law
To pass
More than one condition
Researched
October 27, 2026

Research draft. We gathered this from official sources on October 27, 2026: election offices, state laws and court records, each linked to its source. Separate reviewers checked a random sample of 48 facts from the ballot-measure research against the cited sources and found no errors. The rest hasn't been reviewed fact by fact yet, so check the linked source before relying on anything here.

§1What your vote means

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

A yes vote

A yes vote would bring most records of the Legislature and the Governor's office under the state public records law, while exempting documents used to develop policy and legislators' communications with constituents about getting government benefits or services or dealing with a government agency.1 pp. 6-7, 36

A no vote

A no vote would leave the state public records law as it is now, so the law would not be extended to most records held by the Legislature and the Office of the Governor.1 pp. 6-7, 36

More about it

If approved, the law would take effect on January 1, 2027.1 p. 36, Section 5

§2How it got on the ballot

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Citizen initiative. Voters proposed it by signing a petition.1,2

State law. It would change state law, not the constitution.1,2

This is a proposed law put on the ballot by initiative petition after the Legislature did not vote on it before May 6, 2026.1,2 p. 6

It is on Massachusetts's list of statewide measures for November 3, 2026.1,2 None of the official sources we read calls the list certified or final, so we don’t either. What we couldn't confirm about the list is in the notes on Massachusetts's measures.

§3What it needs to pass

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

More than one condition. A proposed law passes only if more voters vote yes than no on it and the yes votes equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast in the state election.3 Amend. art. XLVIII, The Initiative, V, sec. 1, as replaced by Amend. art. LXXXI, sec. 2