Mass. voters may decide rent control, tax cuts and election reforms on packed 2026 ballot

Massachusetts voters could face an unprecedented ballot lineup in 2026, with a record 44 statewide measures now certified and working through the petition process.

Why it matters: Voters usually have to decide on only a handful of ballot questions each election, but it looks like next year will be different and anyone going to the ballot box better have done their homework.

State of play: The only confirmed ballot measure is a referendum on repealing the state's 2024 gun control law.

The big picture: There are 40 proposed laws and 4 proposed constitutional amendments, representing the largest batch ever approved by the attorney general's office.

• There's intense voter appetite to circumvent elected officials on Beacon Hill on divisive issues.

State of play: About a dozen questions appear viable for the ballot after meeting the first signature threshold of 74,574 at the Dec. 3 deadline.

• They tackle the affordability crisis, democratic reforms and culture-war flashpoints that have stalled in the Legislature.

Housing and affordability are major concerns of several ballot campaigns offering questions on:

• Lifting the 1994 statewide rent control ban and capping annual increases at 5% or inflation.
• Reducing the income tax from 5% to 4% by 2029.
• Requiring municipalities to allow single-family homes on 5,000-square-foot parcels.
• Ending hidden "junk fees" in utility bills.

Between the lines: The rent control effort has collected over 124,000 signatures — nearly double the requirement — and polls show 63% statewide support.

• And business groups backing the income tax cut are framing that as an "affordability" solution.

Democracy reforms are seeing action in 2026.

• Same-day voter registration would eliminate the lengthy registration period before an election.
• A "Jungle primary" system would replace party primaries with top-two advancement and greatly reshape how elections are waged in Mass.
• Transparency advocates want the public records law expanded to cover the Legislature and governor's office.
• And Beacon Hill hawks want to reform how legislative leaders are paid, to get rid of cronyism.

There are some culture war issues in play.

• A ballot measure to make marijuana illegal again would roll back the state's $8 billion cannabis industry.
• Activists against the MBTA Communities Act will ask to restore local zoning control and end the mandate for denser housing near T stations.

What's next: Certified petitions now head to the Legislature, which can adopt them, ignore them or propose alternatives. If lawmakers don't act by May, campaigns need roughly 12,500 additional signatures by July 1 to reach the November ballot.