The Massachusetts Forward Party has released the results of a survey of its supporters ranking which ballot questions the organization should prioritize most ahead of the 2026 general election. The Massachusetts ballot could feature as many as 11 statewide measures.
The party surveyed supporters beginning in January, asking them to rate each proposed ballot question that met the state’s initial signature requirement based on whether it should be considered a “definite priority” or “very high priority.” The results are not intended to serve as formal endorsements or opposition to individual measures, but rather to guide where the organization focuses its attention as the election cycle progresses.
The survey followed an earlier announcement by Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin that 11 petitions had met the initial signature requirement of 74,574 certified signatures to advance to the next round of the process. A total of 23 proposals were originally filed, meaning fewer than half cleared the threshold.
The party shared results with supporters this week but did not disclose how many participants took part in the survey. The results show the strongest support for measures related to government transparency and election reform, with proposals expanding access to public records and establishing all-party primaries emerging as the top priorities.
“These pro-democracy, pro-transparency measures directly reflect core Forward values, so it was encouraging to see such avid support,” the party said.
Several other proposals, including same-day voter registration and an initiative to allow single-family homes in residentially zoned areas under certain conditions, also received majority backing, though support was more mixed. The lowest levels of support were recorded for proposals such as rent control and changes to the state income tax.
Notably absent from the party’s results was a proposal to repeal recreational marijuana legalization, which previously advanced to the Legislature after clearing the first signature threshold with 78,301 certified signatures.
The party also noted that nearly 60% of respondents said they did not believe the number of ballot questions would be overwhelming for voters, which it interpreted as a relatively high level of engagement among participants. At the same time, many respondents said they needed additional information on several proposals, pointing to lower levels of familiarity even among politically active supporters.
“That is exactly what we’d expect at this stage of the election cycle, and we’ll be curious to see if it changes over time,” the party added.
The full results of the survey, along with a link to a summary of the specific questions, are provided below:
| Initiative Title | Summary | Support Survey Results |
|---|---|---|
| Initiative Petition for a Law to Improve Access to Public Records | Link | 88.5% |
| An Initiative Petition for a Law to Implement All-Party State Primaries | Link | 85.3% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Election Day Registration | Link | 60.4% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law to Allow Single-Family Homes on Small Lots in Areas with Adequate Infrastructure | Link | 59.0% |
| Initiative Petition for an Act to Reform and Regulate Legislative Stipends | Link | 57.4% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law to Protect Water & Nature | Link | 50.8% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Limiting State Tax Collection Growth and Returning Surpluses to Taxpayers | Link | 45.9% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Reducing the State Personal Income Tax Rate from 5% to 4% | Link | 42.6% |
| Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Labor Relations Policies for Committee for Public Counsel Services Employees | Link | 42.6% |
| An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases | Link | 40.0% |
The “All Party Primary” proposal is simply a Massachusetts version of the California “Top 2” primary. It would effectively kill all third party and independent candidacies, and probably strangle the Republican Party as well, effectively turning Massachusetts into a one party state.