BALLOT QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Government Transparency and Public Records

The MTA asks you to vote YES on Question 1, which would extend the state’s public records law to the Legislature and governor’s office. The measure would give the public greater access to government records while maintaining protections for certain confidential communications and policy-development materials. MTA supports greater public access to information about how government operates and how decisions affecting Massachusetts residents are made.

Question 2: Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Defenders

The MTA asks you to vote YES on Question 2, which would grant employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, including public defenders, social workers, investigators and support staff, the right to unionize and collectively bargain. While most public employees in Massachusetts already have this right, CPCS employees have been excluded since the agency was established in the 1980s. Question 2 would give these workers the same opportunity as other public employees to organize and negotiate for fair wages and working conditions.

QUESTION 3: State Primary Elections

The MTA asks you to vote NO on Question 3, which would eliminate party primaries and replace them with a single primary where all candidates appear on the same ballot, with only the top two advancing to November. This could result in two candidates from the same party advancing while independent and third-party candidates are shut out of the general election.

MTA also is concerned that the system would make campaigns longer and more expensive, creating additional barriers for working-class, first-time and other candidates without access to significant fundraising networks. The Yes campaign has received substantial support from a small number of wealthy, anti-public education donors, including current and former private-equity executives. Massachusetts unenrolled voters already can choose to vote in either party’s primary election while remaining unenrolled. MTA urges a NO vote on Question 3.

QUESTION 4: Election Day Registration

The MTA asks you to vote YES on Question 4, which would allow eligible Massachusetts residents to register to vote or update their address at their polling place on Election Day. Individuals would be required to provide proof of residency and certify their eligibility to vote. Washington, D.C., and 23 states already have adopted this common-sense reform, including our neighbors in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut.

QUESTION 5: State Revenue Limit and Rebate

The MTA asks you to vote NO on Question 5, which would create automatic tax cuts that would limit state revenue currently used for important programs such as public education, healthcare, public safety and other essential public services on which working families depend. The right-wing interest groups and multi-millionaires supporting this ballot question are fine with these devastating cuts because they will have no impact on them.

QUESTION 9: Firearms Regulation

The MTA asks you to vote YES on Question 9, which would keep Massachusetts’ 2024 gun safety law in place. The law includes several protections that directly affect school communities, including allowing school administrators to petition for Extreme Risk Protection Orders when someone poses a danger to themselves or others and prohibiting firearms in schools, with limited exceptions. MTA supports maintaining these protections as part of the Commonwealth’s broader efforts to reduce gun violence and protect students, educators and communities. A Yes vote keeps the law in place; a No vote would repeal it.