Massachusetts Ballot Questions 2026: What Yes and No Votes Do, Early Voting Ends Oct. 30

In-person early voting in Massachusetts ends today, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin’s 2026 Information for Voters guide. The ballot carries nine binding statewide questions. Questions 1 through 8 are proposed laws put forward by initiative petition, and Question 9 is a referendum on an existing law.

This story lists what the guide says a yes or no vote does on each question, with no arguments for either side. For the other statewide races and dates, see the midterm ballot overview.

Massachusetts Questions 1 to 9: what a yes or no vote does

The “What your vote will do” wording below comes from the guide. Where the guide says a no vote would make no change to the law, the table says “No change”.

Question	Subject	A yes vote	A no vote
1	Expanding the Public Records Law	“Would make most records held by the Legislature and the Office of the Governor public records under the Massachusetts Public Records Law.”	No change
2	Collective Bargaining for Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Employees	“Would specify that Committee for Public Counsel Services employees may form a union to collectively bargain with their employer.”	No change
3	State Primary Elections	“Would eliminate separate party primaries for state elections and require a single primary in which all candidates appear on one ballot, voters could vote for any candidate, and the top two candidates would advance to the general election.”	No change
4	Election Day Registration	“Would permit eligible citizens to register to vote or to update their voter registration address at their polling place on Election Day.”	No change
5	State Revenue Limit and Rebate	“Would change the limit on state revenue collection, tying it to prior year collections plus average wage and salary growth, and provide for a rebate of revenue exceeding that limit.”	No change
6	Natural Resource Conservation Fund	“Would create a fund that could be utilized for natural resource conservation that would receive some state taxes collected on the sale and use of sporting goods and recreational vehicles, and the use of golf courses.”	“Would not create this natural resource conservation fund or change how sales and use taxes are spent.”
7	Single Family Homes	“Would allow single-family homes to be built on lots of 5,000 square feet or more in residential areas, subject to reasonable local regulation of certain aspects of those homes.”	No change
8	Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana	“Would prohibit the legalization, regulation, and taxation of the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana, and change the penalties for possession of marijuana.”	No change
9	Firearms Regulation (referendum)	“Would keep in place the law, which increases the regulation of firearms, including ghost guns, machine guns, and assault-style weapons.”	“Would repeal this law.”

What is different about Question 9?

Question 9 is the only referendum. It asks voters about a firearms law that was passed in 2024, and the guide says a yes vote keeps that law in place while a no vote repeals it. On Questions 1 through 8 a yes vote adds a new law, so the meaning of yes is reversed on Question 9.

Question 3 and Question 8: what the guide says about the primary and marijuana questions

Question 3 concerns state primary elections. Under a yes vote, separate party primaries for state elections would end, and one primary would list all candidates on a single ballot, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election.

Question 8 concerns retail marijuana sales. A yes vote would prohibit the legalization, regulation and taxation of the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana and change the penalties for possession. The guide says the proposed law would take effect on Jan. 1, 2028. The guide gives the same Jan. 1, 2028 date for Question 4.

Massachusetts voting dates for the Nov. 3, 2026 election

Date	What happens	Status on Oct. 30
Sat., Oct. 17	In-person early voting begins	Open
Sat., Oct. 24	Voter registration deadline	Passed
Tue., Oct. 27	Vote by Mail application must reach the local election office by 5 p.m.	Passed
Fri., Oct. 30	In-person early voting ends	Today
Tue., Nov. 3	Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.	Ahead

Every city and town sets its own early voting locations and schedules, which the guide says are posted at VoteInMA.com. The guide adds that many communities have limited or no voting hours on Fridays, so check your community’s schedule before you go. On Election Day, anyone in line at the polling place by 8 p.m. can vote. Use the November 2026 printable calendar to mark the date, and see what time polls close on Election Day for other states.

How can I return a Massachusetts mail ballot?

The guide lists four ways: by mail, by secure ballot drop box in your city or town, by hand at an early voting location, or by hand at your local election office. If you have not mailed your ballot within one week of Election Day, the guide strongly recommends returning it by drop box or in person. The guide excerpt used here does not give a receipt deadline for mailed ballots, so check with your local election office.

Which offices are on the Massachusetts ballot in 2026?

According to the guide, the ballot lists these offices: Senator in Congress; Governor and Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Treasurer; Auditor; Representative in Congress; Councillor; state Senator and Representative; District Attorney; and some county offices. For a different state that changes how votes are counted, see Maine’s ranked-choice voting rules.

Print the Massachusetts ballot questions checklist

The printable one-page checklist lists all nine questions with what a yes vote does, plus the early voting and Election Day dates. It has no space that suggests an answer; the tick boxes are for your own notes.

Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2026 Information for Voters.