BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Tuesday was the last day to submit ballot question petitions for the 2026 ballot. Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin said he expects a record number of questions to make the ballot.
"What is interesting is that [the questions] are on a wide variety of subjects and ideologies," Galvin said. "This isn't all very liberal matters or very conservative matters. It's quite a mix."
Ballot question campaigns needed to collect 74,574 signatures by Tuesday's deadline in order to have their petitions sent to the legislature. According to the Massachusetts Elections Division, 10 campaigns had already collected the necessary signatures by the morning of December 3. Galvin said another campaign that wants to put tighter regulations on marijuana was also expected to meet the deadline.
Once the petitions are submitted, the Elections Division must comb through them and ensure each one meets its qualifications. The petitions will then be sent to the legislature. This process usually takes several weeks.
Questions that make it onto the 2026 ballot will be joined by a veto referendum to repeal a law that enacted stricter gun control procedures across the Commonwealth.