Learn about Ballot Questions in the upcoming election- Part one

Ballot Questions Update from Barnstable DTC —June 26, 2026

Voters in Massachusetts face the possibility of 8-9 ballot questions in November. One

question—whether to uphold/protect our 2024 model firearms legislation against an

effort to overturn it—is already certified to appear on the ballot. Two more—support for

Election Day Registration and support for an All-Party Primary election system—will

also likely appear, pending a final formal certification by the Secretary of the

Commonwealth’s office, after supporters recently collected more than 12,000 second-

round signatures for each.

Election Day Registration—a version of Same Day Registration—will allow eligible

U.S. citizens who have missed the voter registration deadline to appear at their polling

place on Election Day with proof of residency and identity, complete a written oath, and

cast a ballot. The Secretary of the Commonwealth, along with several good government

groups—like Common Cause, League of Women Voters, ACLUMA, and the MA Voter

Table—have long supported Election Day Registration. The Massachusetts Democratic

Platform includes a call for Same Day Voter Registration.

All-Party Primary. The question proposing replacing Massachusetts party-specific

primary system with an All-Party “Top Two” system had faced a lawsuit challenge, but

was recently approved by the State Judicial Court to move ahead to the November

ballot. The Massachusetts Democratic Party opposes this ballot question.

Several more questions could still appear on the ballot, pending the Secretary’s

certification by mid-July, including repealing adult use of marijuana, establishing a

Nature for All Fund, and proposing tax limits.

Disqualified. The SJC has cited three questions as unqualified to appear on the

ballot—stipend reform in the MA Legislature, ruling it unconstitutional, a rent control

measure that would have capped rent increases across the state, and a question on

lowering the state’s income tax rate, ruling the measure’s summary was misleading.

For a list and summaries of all the proposed ballot questions, see the Secretary of the

Commonwealth’s site . Stay tuned for more updates.

BDTC Social Media Committee

6/26/2026