Massachusetts voters head to the polls tomorrow to elect a governor, constitutional officers, a US Senator, and members of the legislature while deciding nine ballot questions on issues ranging from tax rebates to marijuana.

Some 740,000 Massachusetts residents have already cast ballots since early voting opened on October 17. AIM by its bylaws is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse candidates in elections.

The headline race is for governor, where incumbent Maura Healey faces challenger Michael Minogue. Voters will also decide races for Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor and Secretary of the Commonwealth.

On the federal side, incumbent US Senator Edward Markey faces off against challenger John Deaton.

The nine ballot questions are heavily weighted toward government and election issues. Massachusetts voters have faced nine ballot questions three times previously – in 1994, 1976 and 1972.

The AIM Board of Directors did not take a position on any of this year’s questions.

The questions are:

1. Question 1 – Makes records held by the Massachusetts Legislature and the Governor’s Office subject to the state’s public records law. Both bodies are currently exempt, one of a small number of states where that is the case. The petition was backed by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who has separately pushed to audit the Legislature.

• A Yes vote – The Legislature and Governor’s Office become subject to the state’s public records law, like other state agencies.​
• A No vote – The current exemption stays in place; the Legislature and Governor’s Office remain outside the public records law.

2. Question 2: Permits employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services — the state’s public defender agency — to participate in collective bargaining. The campaign is a partnership between SEIU and the National Association of Government Employees.​

• A Yes vote – CPCS employees, including public defenders and staff attorneys, gain the right to collectively bargain over wages and working conditions.​
• A No vote – CPCS employees continue without collective-bargaining rights, as under current law.​

3. Question 3 – Eliminates party primaries for state elections and replaces them with a single primary in which all candidates appear on one ballot regardless of party; the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. The campaign committee is the Coalition for Healthy Democracy.​

• A Yes vote – Massachusetts adopts a single ‘top-two’ primary for state offices, replacing separate party primaries.​
• A No vote – The current system of separate party primaries remains in place.​

4. Question 4 – Establishes same-day voter registration, allowing eligible voters to register and cast a ballot on Election Day rather than by the current 10-day-ahead deadline. Supporters, including Secretary Galvin, have pushed for this reform through the Legislature for several sessions without success.

• A Yes vote – Eligible voters may register and cast a ballot on Election Day itself.​
• A No vote – The current 10-day-ahead voter registration deadline remains in place.​

5. Question 5 – Changes the calculation behind the state’s existing Chapter 62F revenue cap — the mechanism that can trigger rebates to taxpayers when tax collections exceed the statutory limit.

• A Yes vote – The Chapter 62F revenue-cap calculation changes as proposed, affecting when and how future taxpayer rebates are triggered.​
• A No vote – The Chapter 62F calculation remains as it is under current law.​

6. Question 6 – Directs existing sales-tax revenue from sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and golf courses into a new dedicated fund, the Nature for All Fund, for land, water, and wildlife conservation.​

• A Yes vote – A dedicated Nature for All Fund is created, directing existing sales-tax revenue toward conservation efforts.​
• A No Vote – No new conservation fund is created; that sales-tax revenue continues under its current allocation.​

7. Question 7 – Requires cities and towns to allow single-family homes on residentially zoned lots as small as 5,000 square feet, overriding stricter local lot-size minimums. The campaign, Legalize Starter Homes, argues large-lot zoning has driven up housing costs statewide.

• A Yes vote – Cities and towns must allow single-family homes on lots as small as 5,000 square feet, regardless of stricter local zoning.​
• A No vote – Local lot-size zoning minimums remain in force, unchanged by this measure.

8. Question 8: Massachusetts voters weigh measure that would rescind the legalization of recreational marijuana.

• A Yes vote – Repeals the law permitting licensed retail sale and home cultivation of recreational marijuana, while leaving the medical marijuana program and limited possession in place.
• A No vote – Current law stays in effect; licensed retail sale and home cultivation of recreational marijuana remain legal.​

9. Question 9: Asks voters whether to uphold (“Yes”) or repeal (“No”) An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws (H.4885), the 2024 law that expanded the state’s assault-style firearm definition and added registration and training requirements.

• A Yes vote – The 2024 firearms law (H.4885) is upheld and remains in effect as passed.​
• A No vote – The 2024 firearms law (H.4885) is repealed and no longer in effect.​

Please contact Stephanie Swanson, AIM’s Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, sswanson@aimnet.org, with any questions.