Massachusetts voters will decide on a record-tying nine ballot questions next week, a surge in direct democracy that has revived debate about whether the process is a legitimate tool or a sign of government disrepair. This flurry of measures, ranging from election registration rules to tax cap formulas, marks the first time since 1994 that the Commonwealth has faced this many significant policy decisions at the polls, according to reporting by CommonWealth Beacon. The total number of questions matches records set in 1972, 1976, and 1994.
A barbecue spark and the bypass of Beacon Hill
The path to the current ballot often begins far from the halls of government. In July 2025, 80-year-old Norma Shulman asked Secretary of State Bill Galvin a simple question during a Democratic barbecue in Framingham: why hasn’t Massachusetts adopted same-day voter registration? Current law prevents anyone from registering or updating their address within 10 days of an election, a blackout period that reform proponents argue disenfranchises thousands of citizens annually.
Despite the Senate approving versions of Election Day registration three times since 2008, the House consistently blocked the measure. Galvin, the longest-serving secretary of state in state history, eventually decided to circumvent the Legislature entirely. He joined Shulman in her dining room to sign the paperwork for a citizen-led campaign to write the change directly into law. Shulman now chairs the committee supporting the measure, turning a decades-long legislative stalemate into a direct question for the voters.
The cost of a “chainsaw” approach to lawmaking
House Speaker Ron Mariano has described the process as “fundamentally broken,” claiming it is co-opted by “special interest groups and overly-ambitious politicians” who ignore nuance in favor of maximalist positions.
CommonWealth Beacon reports that the financial stakes have shifted dramatically, with spending on ballot initiatives increasing more than fourfold over the last decade compared to the previous twenty years, even when adjusted for inflation. This influx of money allows groups to use the initiative petition process to circumvent a Legislature where certain ideas have failed to earn required support.
“It’s 1,000 percent the fault of the Legislature for not solving problems,” said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, which is backing a question to overhaul the state’s tax cap and rebate law.
When voters encounter a massive list of complex questions on their ballot, it reinforces the perception that the Legislature is not doing its job.
The fight over transparency and power
The friction isn’t just between activists and lawmakers, but among high-ranking state officials. Auditor Diana DiZoglio has emerged as a central figure in this conflict. She is ready for another fight if legislators change the public records statute in a way that does not match the outcome of Question 1.
A legacy of “sinister influence”
The right to direct democracy in Massachusetts was established 108 years ago. Ironically, the push for the initiative process was led by Joseph Walker, who argued that the state government was beholden to “sinister influence” from lobbyists.
Walker claimed at a constitutional convention that the state was controlled by lobbyists who appear every year. The right for voters to bring policy changes to their peers has been guaranteed since 1918, following a national trend of democratic reforms aimed at Gilded Age corruption.
The 1994 campaign finance and ethics law serves as the primary example of the process working as a catalyst. Common Cause Massachusetts launched a ballot question to crack down on donations. Rather than fighting the voters, leaders like Stan Rosenberg and John McDonough brokered a compromise that overhauled campaign finance law, proving that the threat of a ballot measure can force legislative action.
Perspectives on the Ballot
Various advocates and officials have weighed in on the specific measures. Annie Buck, a researcher at Boston Medical Center, suggests that updated red flag provisions in a 2024 gun law may help lower suicide rates. Conversely, Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, and former finance official Peter Enrich argue that a new tax cap formula would provide minimal benefits while causing major cuts to public services.
Regarding the data, MassINC Polling Group president Steve Koczela and research associate Janice Hagerman write that polls for ballot questions differ from candidate races, noting that support in the low 50s or high 40s remains unstable.
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