If you received one of these 88-page “red books” in the mail, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Why does a “yes” on Question 8 get rid of a law that’s presently in place but a “yes” on Question 9 keep a law that’s presently in place? Don’t worry! Help is at hand with our team’s handy-dandy guide to life, the universe, and ballot questions…
DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE 9 MEASURES ON THE MASSACHUSETTS BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER?
This year, on November 3, Massachusetts voters will vote on an unusually high number of ballot measures. Some of these measures can be confusing!
The Sudbury Democratic Town Committee (Sudbury Dems for short) has prepared this handy reference guide to the Ballot Measures. For more detailed information, click this link to access a powerpoint presentation that summarizes the measures, together with handy information about sponsors and funding sources. Additionally, the Center for Policy Analysis at Tufts University provides detailed non-partisan analysis of the questions.
Sudbury Dems recommends voting Yes on questions 1, 2, 4, 7, and 9 and recommends voting No on questions 3, 5, and 8. We are not taking a formal position on question 6 because of lack of consensus.
Here is a quick summary of the ballot questions:
Question 1: Public Information: Yes! Makes records held by the state Legislature and the Governor’s Office official, public records. This question does not have significant opposition and has broad support from organizations and individuals including The League of Women Voters, Progressive Massachusetts, Governor Healey and State Auditor Dizoglio. There is already a law making public records held by government agencies. This measure expands that rule.
Question 2: Collective bargaining for public defenders: Yes! Public defenders in Massachusetts are underpaid compared to other states. This has led to serious problems finding legal representation for defendants so cases can move forwards. Sudbury Dems supports the right of public defenders to unionize and negotiate a fair contract.
Question 3: Eliminate Party Primary Elections: No! This measure would eliminate party primaries, with open primaries that would select the top two candidates to run against each other. This would be similar to recent primary elections in California. Both the Democratic and Republican parties in Massachusetts are opposed to this measure.
In the 2026 California governor’s race, there was a large field of Democratic candidates, leading to fears the Democratic vote would be split between all the potential Democratic options, leading to a potential scenario in which a majority Democratic electorate would end up with two Republican front runners. This led to highly qualified candidates dropping out. In other words, this measure can lead to chaotic primaries with results that do not represent the wishes of the electorate.
Question 4: Same Day Voter Registration: Yes! Right now, you cannot register to vote for 10 days before the election in Massachusetts. Many people are not aware they need to re-register after moving, changing their name (including through marriage), or if they haven’t voted recently. About 70% of all rental leases in the city of Boston start or end on September 1st, meaning that many people are ineligible to vote in the state’s September Primary Election. Allowing people to register on Election Day is a simple change that can make voting available to more people.
Question 5: Change State Tax Revenue Limit: No! This measure limits how much revenue the state can collect depending on a formula based on the previous year’s collection. This would significantly restrict the ability of the state to respond to new needs or crises, and would give large tax refunds to the wealthy while making huge cuts for services like schools and firefighters more likely in the next recession.
Question 6: Parks, Land and Conservation Revenue Allocation: No recommendation. This measure proposes the creation of a fund to support nature conservation. Sudbury Dems enthusiastically supports nature conservation, but this measure does not provide a new funding source and it is debatable whether the state budget should be managed by ballot measure. Since there are strong arguments both for and against this measure, we are not making a recommendation.
Question 7: Reduce Lot Size Requirements. Yes! This measure reduces minimum lot size requirements to 5000 square feet for single family homes in communities with public water and sewer. Reducing minimum lot requirements allows more flexibility in construction of new homes, which can help increase availability of housing throughout the state. This will not directly affect housing in Sudbury, as we do not have public sewers, but will indirectly lead to potentially reduced housing costs for everyone in Massachusetts.
Question 8: Recriminalize Marijuana: No! This measure, which does not address medical marijuana use, would recriminalize recreational marijuana use, and prevent sales, regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana. This would be a move back to policy prior to decriminalization, with unnecessary legal consequences for ordinary recreational users, as well as risks of unsafe use due to loss of regulation of marijuana, and the loss of billions of dollars of tax revenue to the state. Concerns about marijuana would be better addressed through regulation, testing and research, which would all be undermined by this measure.
Question 9: Gun Safety: Yes! This is a vote to keep gun safety laws in Massachusetts (Bill H.4885, passed in 2024). These include a ban on assault rifles, requirements for serial numbers on guns, requirements for safety training and permitting courts to order firearm surrender for prevention of risk orders. This can be confusing, because you are voting “yes” just to keep the existing law in place. We urge you to vote “yes” to protect commonsense gun safety laws!
ABOUT THE SUDBURY DEMS:
The Sudbury Democratic Town Committee represents the Massachusetts Democratic Party in town. Members of the Committee are elected on the Democratic primary ballot or appointed by existing members, but anyone is welcome to join our meetings and participate.
The Committee holds regular hybrid meetings, generally on the first Thursday of the month, at Sudbury Meetinghouse (First Parish of Sudbury). We discuss a wide range of political issues and candidates and we advocate for Democratic values, policies, and candidates. More information about the Committee can be found here: https://sudburydemocrats.org/about-us/.