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Massachusetts · November 3, 2026 general election · Statewide ballot measure

Question 1: what your vote means

Expanding the Public Records Law. On every Massachusetts ballot. Official sources checked October 21, 2026.

Question 1 · Law proposed by initiative petition

Expanding the Public Records Law

Official ballot title (quoted exactly)

Question 1: Law proposed by initiative petition — Expanding the Public Records Law. Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2026?

Ballot question as printed in the 2026 Information for Voters, Secretary of the Commonwealth. On the ballot, the Attorney General’s summary (linked below) appears beneath the question.

A YES vote means:

Most records held by the Legislature and the Office of the Governor would become public records under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, starting January 1, 2027.

A NO vote means:

The Massachusetts Public Records Law would not change.

What it would change

  • Who is affected: the Legislature, the Governor’s office, and members of the public who request records.
  • Exemptions: documents related to developing public policy, and constituent communications reasonably related to a request for help getting government benefits or services or dealing with an agency.
  • Taxes and fees: none.
  • Fiscal impact (Executive Office of Administration and Finance): no discernible material fiscal consequences for state and municipal finances.

Official arguments, summarized

Short neutral summaries of the arguments printed in the official voters’ pamphlet. The committees that wrote them are responsible for their content. Read the full text at the link below.

Argument for

Supporters say the Legislature and Governor’s office should follow the same public records law as cities, towns, and state agencies, while protecting constituent privacy.

Written by: Diana DiZoglio, Committee for Transparency and Democracy · dianaforma.com

Argument against

No organized group submitted an argument against; the Secretary of the Commonwealth prepared one from the Legislature’s majority report, which says the exemptions are poorly defined and could chill lawmakers’ communications and expose other constituent correspondence.

Arguments for and against Question 1, 2026 Information for Voters

Who supports it and who opposes it

These lists come from official campaign filings (registered committees) and public endorsements, each linked to its source. They are not complete, and SaveYourState does not endorse anyone listed. Lists checked October 30, 2026.

Who supports it

Who opposes it

Not yet compiled

Official sources

SaveYourState is independent and nonpartisan, not a government site, and does not take positions on ballot measures. This explainer describes effects only, using the official ballot title, explanatory statement, full text, and fiscal impact statement. If anything here differs from those documents, the official documents control.