November 2, 2026
Massachusetts Court Makes It Harder to Obtain Trade-Secret Injunctions
A recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision may make it more difficult for employers to stop former employees…
Read MoreBy Sam Larson
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
On a night of sweeping political change, Massachusetts voters largely elected to keep the status quo, returning every incumbent elected official to office and maintaining existing laws governing firearms and marijuana.
Governor Maura Healey won re-election to a second term over challenger Michael Minogue. Other incumbents winning re-election included Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Auditor Diane DiZoglio, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin
At the federal level, Edward Markey defeated challenger John Deaton for another term in the US Senate. In addition, Massachusetts will send an all-Democratic delegation to the House of Representatives returning all incumbents except for new Congressman Dan Koh who won an open seat to replace Congressman Seth Moulton.
“Associated Industries of Massachusetts looks forward to continuing its work with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to strengthen the economy in every region of the state where our members operate. We must work collaboratively to address business competitiveness, energy costs, housing affordability and workforce development if the commonwealth is to remain a center of global commerce and opportunity,” said Brooke Thomson, President and CEO of AIM.
“As a non-partisan organization, AIM is grateful to all the candidates who ran for office and articulated their policy positions during the campaign.”
Further down the ballot, Massachusetts voters decided critical issues ranging from gun rights to state finances. The 2026 ballot contained nine ballot questions, tying a record set in 1994, 1976 and 1972. The voters adopted five of the nine statewide ballot questions and rejected two, while two more remained uncalled by the Associated Press on Wednesday morning.
The AIM Board of Directors did not take a position on any of this year’s questions.
Voters did approve several significant changes to the conduct of elections but rejected a proposal to conduct open primaries. A separate proposal to change the calculation behind the state’s existing Chapter 62F revenue cap which is the mechanism that can trigger rebates to taxpayers when tax collections exceed the statutory limit is trailing.
| Question | Summary | Outcome |
| 1 — Public records | Makes most records of the Legislature and Governor’s Office subject to the public records law. | Passed |
| 2 — CPCS bargaining | Lets employees of the state’s public defender agency form a union and bargain collectively. | Passed |
| 3 — All-party primaries | Would have replaced party primaries with one all-party primary, sending the top two to November. | Rejected |
| 4 — Election Day registration | Allows eligible residents to register or update their address at the polls starting in 2028. | Passed |
| 5 — Revenue limit and rebate | Would cap state revenue growth at average wage growth and refund any excess to taxpayers. | Trailing |
| 6 — Nature for All Fund | Directs sales tax on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf to a conservation fund. | Passed |
| 7 — Single-family homes | Would allow a single-family home on any residential lot of 5,000 sq ft or more, outside Boston. | Too close to call |
| 8 — Repeal recreational marijuana | Would have ended legal retail sales of adult-use marijuana. | Rejected |
| 9 — 2024 gun law (Yes keeps it) | Asked whether to keep the 2024 firearms law on ghost guns, licensing and assault-style weapons. | Law upheld |
While Massachusetts political professionals will spend the coming months parsing the results of these ballot initiatives, the sheer number of questions themselves are a cause for concern. The result was a ballot that ran two to three pages in many cities and towns and contributed to long lines at some polling places on Election Day. Each of the nine questions carried significant consequences for taxpayers, employers and local governments, yet voters had to weigh them alongside other races, often with only a short summary to go on.
Associated Industries of Massachusetts has long believed that governing through ballot questions is an inefficient and often ineffective way to make public policy, and the sheer volume of questions in this cycle reinforces that concern. With more questions already being prepared for 2028, AIM is reviewing reforms that would make the process more manageable for voters.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Government Affairs team as they assemble AIM’s agenda for next session.