The Democrats who control the levers of power in Massachusetts spent most of the year fretting about upheaval from the federal government and preparing for more expansive action down the line.
Ballot Questions
Posted inBallot Questions
Ballot measures must clear courts, lawmakers, and voters
As the secretary of state’s office certifies hundreds of thousands of signatures submitted on behalf of the proposed 2026 ballot questions, campaigns and ballot initiative veterans estimate about half of the questions could be vulnerable to legal challenges, though not all may materialize.
Posted inBallot Questions
Cutting taxes, recriminalizing recreational pot, scrutinizing Beacon Hill: record number of ballot questions in the mix for 2026
Voters could have up to a dozen statewide ballot questions to decide in 2026, ranging from legislative transparency to marijuana policy to gun safety, following the latest big hurdle in the biennial process.
Posted inPolitics
‘They’re making a huge bet’: Rent control referendum splits progressives
If a campaign to instate rent control across the Commonwealth makes it to the ballot, voters will need to weigh whether every municipality should adopt a measure more stringent than earlier attempts by Boston, Brookline, and Somerville.
Posted inOpinion
Finding common cause and common sense in complexity
“THERE’S A PLACE in the world for the angry young man,” wrote Billy Joel almost 50 years ago. Unfortunately, that place seems to have expanded in our public square (for […]
Posted inOpinion
DiZoglio misfires in attack on attorney general
MASSACHUSETTS STATE AUDITOR Diana DiZoglio recently called in to Boston Public Radio and accused Attorney General Andrea Campbell of “working with the legislative leaders to block the audit that the […]
Posted inOpinion
The Fair Share Amendment is delivering
Nearly three years after its passage, it’s becoming clear that the millionaires tax has been a total success, and an incredible benefit for our state’s businesses.
Posted inBallot Questions
Remove restrictions that limit more housing? Rein in rents? Voters may face dueling ballot questions advancing competing ideas.
Housing advocates often fall into two camps, offering very different solutions to the housing crisis.
Posted inOpinion
The century-old flaw that let Question 1 go the ballot
The audit question amounts to an act of constitutional vandalism, an example of the mischief that can result from Article 48, and why this seems a good time to consider amending the initiative process.
Posted inPolitics
Boston pushes forward on ranked-choice voting
Boston City Councilors voted 8-4 in favor of a home rule petition that would begin the process of implementing ranked-choice voting in the capital city, setting up a potential clash with an often disinterested Legislature.
Posted inOpinion
Question 1 delivered a harsh verdict on the Legislature
Overwhelming public support for Question 1 suggests state legislators may need to do some soul-searching about how to address the public’s concerns about state government.
Posted inBallot Questions
Political Notebook: Amid ballot fight, teachers union dipped into legislative races
THE FINAL TALLY isn’t in yet, but the latest numbers show the Massachusetts Teachers Association spent more than $15 million on Question 2, their successful ballot measure to neuter the […]
Posted inBallot Questions
An uphill climb for rideshare unionization
RIDESHARE WORKERS are celebrating the passage of Question 3, which gave them a legal framework to unionize, but the path to unionizing may still prove to be an uphill climb […]
Posted inBallot Questions
The voters have spoken on Questions 1, 2 – or have they?
With most votes counted, the legislative audit question was approved by a margin of 71.5 percent to 28.5 percent. The MCAS question’s margin was 59-41.
Posted inBallot Questions
Rideshare unionization question passes
“Tomorrow we’re ready to build a union,” said Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ, the union leading the ballot campaign at the campaign’s election party Tuesday night. “Tomorrow, we’re ready to fight for better wages. Tomorrow, we’re going to fight for better benefits. This is the biggest victory for drivers.”
Posted inBallot Questions
Voters end MCAS graduation test requirement
Voters approved a ballot question that will remove a requirement that Massachusetts high school students pass a 10th-grade standardized test in English, math, and science to graduate.
The vote removes a central pillar of the state’s 1993 education reform law, and makes Massachusetts one of only two states with no statewide-requirements for high school graduation.
Posted inBallot Questions
Voters demand audit of Legislature, hurdles remain
In a brief interview on Tuesday night, DiZoglio said she is prepared to take on the Legislature either in court or on Beacon Hill. She said she is enlisting the support of supportive lawmakers to block any action in the Legislature that would undermine Tuesday’s vote. If that fails, DiZoglio said, she is urging the governor to side with the state’s voters.
Posted inOpinion
The long history of ballot questions influencing races between candidates
Ballot questions can energize and draw voters based on the issue being decided. Less well appreciated: The turnout they generate can affect — and perhaps even decide — the outcome of other contests on the ballot.
Posted inBallot Questions
Five ballot questions all have a workplace connection
The CommonWealth Beacon newsroom discussed the ballot sla.te this week on a special pre-Election Day episode of The Codcast. Some highlights of the conversation follow
Posted inOpinion
Question 2: A misguided effort that will harm kids, their futures, and the economy
If this ballot question passes, it will turn back the clock 30 years to a time when children in far too many districts graduated from high school without the skills and knowledge they needed to be successful in life beyond high school.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Empty house, full campaign coffers | Damon and Dushku
Saru Jayaraman’s charity organization, One Fair Wage Inc., was set up in Massachusetts last year, with Jayaraman as the president, and Nika Soon-Shiong, the daughter of the owner of the Los Angeles Times, as a director.
Posted inOpinion
Voting yes on Question 4 is a vote to support veterans’ mental health
Passage of Question 4 would create a framework for therapeutic (not commercial) use of certain natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin, which is found in mushrooms, allowing veterans and others to legally access an alternative method of treatment that has shown enormous potential to treat post-traumatic stress, depression, and other mental health ailments.
Posted inBallot Questions
Mariano, Spilka don’t rule out revisiting ballot questions after election
Two ballot questions in particular have drawn Beacon Hill’s scorn: Question 1 would explicitly authorize the state auditor to audit the state Legislature, while Question 2 would remove passing the MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement.