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BOSTON — Massachusetts voters could face a historic number of ballot questions — including one proposing the repeal of the MBTA zoning requirement — in 2026, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin announced on Wednesday.
At the start of the 2026 ballot-question cycle, the attorney general certified 44 separate initiative petitions — 40 proposed laws and four constitutional amendments — making them eligible to collect signatures. Only a subset of those campaigns moved forward, with 10 submitting signatures by this week’s deadline and an 11th reportedly preparing to do so, according to Galvin’s office.
The filings mark what Galvin called “a record-breaking number of questions” submitted to his Elections Division, potentially surpassing the previous high of nine ballot questions certified for a single state election in 1972, 1976 and 1994. Recent elections have typically featured between two and four statewide questions.
Among the initial proposals submitted was a measure seeking to repeal the MBTA Communities zoning law. As of Wednesday evening, The Independent had not confirmed whether the campaign met all state submission requirements. The effort comes as towns across Massachusetts grapple with compliance requirements and the threat of losing state grant funding. The law requires 177 cities and towns with or near MBTA service to zone for multifamily housing near public transportation.
Any questions that ultimately qualify for the 2026 ballot will appear alongside a referendum on “An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws” that was already filed and certified late last year, according to Galvin’s office.
The exact number of valid signatures will not be known for several weeks, as Elections Division staff must review each petition sheet for disqualifying marks and proper certification by local election officials.
MBTA zoning repeal carries implications for communities like Marblehead
The proposed MBTA Communities repeal measure would eliminate the requirement that municipalities permit multifamily housing in at least one zoning district of reasonable size located within half a mile of transit stations. The measure would also void any zoning districts adopted under the law and prohibit penalizing communities based on whether they complied.
The question comes as Marblehead continues rebuilding its compliance plan after voters repealed the town’s earlier proposal 3,642-3,297 in a July referendum. That plan had designated 58.4 acres across three districts at Tioga Way, Pleasant Street and Broughton Road.
State officials later confirmed Marblehead became ineligible for more than $2.8 million in competitive grants, including funding for Abbot Hall, the Marblehead Rail Trail and Council on Aging transportation services.
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Select Board Chair Dan Fox has said town officials are now evaluating multiple parcels, with Tedesco Country Club emerging as one option being modeled. Fox said the 30-acre golf course could help meet state requirements while minimizing the likelihood of actual development.
“The likelihood of it getting developed is very low,” Fox said. “However, if it did get developed, it would be in an area that would reduce traffic and would be more in character with that part of town.”
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer acknowledged the strategy, noting that Tedesco’s private ownership makes redevelopment unlikely.
Marblehead is expected to take up a new MBTA zoning plan at Town Meeting in May 2026, months before any statewide repeal vote.
The MBTA Communities Act was passed in January 2021 with broad bipartisan support as part of legislation to strengthen the state’s economy and address the housing crisis. The Senate voted unanimously in favor and the House voted 143-4. The law requires 177 communities to establish at least one district where multifamily housing is permitted as of right.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in January 2025 that the law is constitutional, giving the attorney general’s office the ability to enforce it with legal action. However, controversy has continued in communities like Milton, which argued that hosting the light-rail Mattapan trolley should not subject it to the same requirements as communities with heavy rail service.
If approved by voters, the ballot measure would declare that zoning and land use are matters of local control and prohibit the state from compelling or incentivizing cities or towns to adopt particular zoning policies.
Housing and rent control
Another housing measure would institute a statewide cap on annual rent increases at 5% or inflation, whichever is lower, effectively repealing Massachusetts’ ban on local rent control that has been in place since 1994. The proposal would apply beginning with rates as of Jan. 31, 2026, but would not cover owner-occupied buildings with fewer than four units or units that received occupancy certification within the last decade.
Supporters say the measure would protect tenants from excessive rent hikes, while the Greater Boston Real Estate Board has vowed to fight what it calls “a flawed, harmful policy.”
Additional housing proposals would allow single-family homes to be built on lots as small as 5,000 square feet in areas with adequate infrastructure and would address various aspects of local zoning control.
Tax policy changes
Multiple tax-related questions appear headed for the ballot. One would reduce the state’s 5% income tax rate to 4% over several years, potentially reducing state revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Another would modify Chapter 62F, the law limiting how much tax revenue the state can collect each year, with the goal of triggering more frequent taxpayer refunds. The measure is backed by business groups including the Massachusetts High Technology Council, whose president, Christopher Anderson, told GBH News in September that the high number of ballot filings shows “the Legislature really is not the source and summit of major-impact policy changes in Massachusetts.”
A third tax proposal would lower the gasoline tax, which was 24 cents per gallon as of September 2025, to five cents per gallon until Jan. 1, 2036, and eliminate it entirely after that date.
Election reforms
Several election-related changes are moving forward. Competing proposals would require voters to show government-issued photo identification at polls, with versions differing in what forms of ID would be acceptable. Voters without ID would be permitted to vote after completing an affidavit witnessed by a poll worker.
Another measure would allow Election Day voter registration, eliminating the current requirement that voters register at least 10 days before an election. Several states currently allow same-day registration.
Multiple versions of a proposal to adopt a nonpartisan “all-party” primary system are also in the mix, similar to systems used in California and Alaska.
Government transparency
One petition would extend the Massachusetts public records law to cover both the Legislature and the governor’s office, which are currently exempt. The measure would make most records held by these offices public, though it would exempt documents related to policy development and certain constituent communications.
The proposal would also make information in the central registry of voters, which includes names, dates of birth, addresses and registration dates, available as public records upon request from the secretary of state.
Related proposals would eliminate stipends for legislative leaders and committee chairs, prohibiting state lawmakers from receiving regular compensation beyond the base salary calculated under the state constitution.
Other measures
Additional petitions address marijuana regulation, with proposals to modify or roll back rules on the recreational marijuana industry that voters approved in 2016.
A conservation measure backed by Mass Audubon would redirect half the revenue generated from the sales tax on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses toward natural resource conservation. The organization estimates this could invest $100 million in nature and climate initiatives without raising taxes.
Another proposal would require autonomous vehicles to have a physically present human safety operator who could take control if necessary. The measure comes as companies like Waymo explore bringing robot taxis to the Boston area.
Process and timeline
State law requires ballot question campaigns to submit at least 74,574 certified signatures, with no more than 18,643 allowed from any individual county, to advance to the next stage. The signature review process typically takes several weeks.
Petitions determined to contain sufficient certified signatures will be forwarded to the Legislature in January. If lawmakers do not pass an initiative through the normal legislative process by May 5, 2026, petitioners can begin collecting the additional 12,429 signatures needed to place the question on the Nov. 3, 2026 state election ballot.
The Legislature has the authority to enact an initiative directly or negotiate a compromise that satisfies proponents, ending a ballot campaign before it reaches voters.
Several factors will likely reduce the final number of questions that reach voters. Some campaigns filed multiple versions of similar proposals and will consolidate them before proceeding. Legal challenges could eliminate other petitions, and some campaigns may fail to gather the required signatures in the second round.
Ballot question campaigns can generate intense and expensive battles, with well-funded coalitions forming on both sides of controversial measures. The rent control question has already drawn organized opposition from the real estate industry, while housing advocates have mobilized support.
Massachusetts voters have decided major policy questions through ballot initiatives in recent years, including measures on taxes, transportation funding, labor rights and health care. The 2026 election could see the state’s highest number of ballot questions in more than three decades, potentially requiring voters to navigate a complex array of policy decisions alongside races for state and federal offices.
