2026 ballot campaigns, both their volume and scope, a top concern for Beacon Hill leaders

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Most Massachusetts voters probably haven’t given much thought to the proposals that could land on their ballots in 2026. But potential ballot questions were top of mind for Beacon Hill leaders when they met for a check-in on Monday.

“Forty-four of them,” House Speaker Ron Mariano told reporters after the nearly 90-minute meeting.

The Quincy Democrat acknowledged that it’s “too soon to see which ones of these are real,” since they faced a signature-gathering deadline last week, and it’s still unclear how many cleared the hurdle of gathering more than 74,000 John Hancocks. Ten groups claimed to have enough signatures to advance.

Some advocacy groups also submitted multiple versions in order to improve their chances of passing legal muster. But “the sheer number of them bothers me,” Mariano said.

Mariano reprised his past distaste for the “special interest groups” that pay for signature-gathering and “design questions that support their topics or their personal interests.” The topics include rent control, placing the Legislature and governor under the public records law, easing zoning for starter homes, all-party primaries, and an income tax cut.

Senate President Karen Spilka said she shared Mariano’s concerns about special interest involvement in ballot questions. “I believe that special interests have driven a lot of the ballot questions. Sometimes they are presented as grassroots, but when you look behind the curtain and see who is paying for the signatures, it is specific groups. And I think that just needs to be more transparent, so people can see behind the curtain,” she said after her closed-door meeting with Mariano and Gov. Maura Healey.

But one person’s special interest group can be another person’s advocacy organization. It’s a question of perspective. Rent control supporters, who touted the collection of more than 124,000 signatures last week, include unions and left-wing organizations who said it was a grassroots effort and not the result of “hundreds of thousands of dollars to professional signature gathering firms.”

Opponents include real estate groups like NAIOP and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. “It’s not going to spur any construction or any investment in new housing,” Mariano said, echoing their arguments. Additionally, a spokesman for anti-rent control groups called the proposed 2026 question “more aggressive and restrictive than anything that has been considered here before.”

When a reporter noted that some initiative groups argue that they’re using ballot questions as a law-making avenue because the Legislature hasn’t acted, Mariano mentioned there had already been a statewide vote on rent control, as well as a 2020 vote by House lawmakers who rejected the policy. (On the statewide vote, he apparently meant the one in 1994, which banned rent control. Another reporter noted she was not yet born when that vote occurred.)

Mariano said he believed there is evidence that people in Massachusetts don’t support it. If he’s right, and rent control makes the ballot again, more evidence could turn up a little less than a year from now.

In Speaker Mariano’s defense, time is relative. As he said himself, right after he became speaker in 2020 and a reporter pressed him for comment on a topic, “I just got here.” If you have memories of the 1994 campaign to ban rent control, please feel free to share, since I was 10 at the time: [email protected].

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HAPPENING TODAY

9:00 | The newly formed Protecting Massachusetts Communities campaign holds a pre-hearing rally in support of legislation to prevent local officers from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement (H 2580 / S 1681), scheduled to be heard by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. The coalition includes members of the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the ACLU of Massachusetts, 1199SEIU, Massachusetts Teachers Association and 32BJ. | Room 428, State House Boston

10:00 | Gov. Maura Healey presents awards at the annual Firefighter of the Year ceremony recognizing 170 firefighters for their "outstanding acts of heroism and service." Public Safety and Security Secretary Gina Kwon and State Fire Marshal Jon Davine attend. WCVB-TV anchor Doug Meehan anchors the ceremony. | Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester

10:00 | The Joint Committee on the Judiciary holds a public hearing to address 47 bills pertaining to immigration, protected classes and civil rights. A Rep. Chris Markey bill (H 4736) would establish penalties for "street takeovers," which have made headlines in recent months and the state said it has made concerted efforts to crack down on. | A-2, State House, Boston | More Info & Access

12:45 | Gov. Maura Healey joins the 16th Annual March for the Western Mass Food Bank. | All States Material Group, 112 Amherst Road, Sunderland

YOUR 2026 FIX

PRESSLEY EDGES MARKEY: Rep. Ayanna Pressley would receive 35% to Ed Markey’s 34% in a hypothetical Democratic primary, while Rep. Seth Moulton would receive just 16%, according to a new Suffolk University/Globe poll. – Boston Globe

GOP GOV PRIMARY: WBUR interviews the three GOP candidates hoping to clear next year’s primary and take on Democratic Gov. Maura Healey. Wealthy biotech executive Michael Minogue said he doesn’t identify with a party, but added there are “two parties and you have to pick” when running for office. – WBUR

BALLOT QUESTION POLL: The Suffolk University/Globe poll found that majorities of voters are supportive of ballot questions on a return to rent control, cutting the income tax rate, and allowing voters to register on Election Day. More than 80% said they supported placing the Legislature and the governor under the state public records law. – Boston Globe

FROM BEACON HILL

DiZOGLIO VS. SPILKA: Auditor Diana DiZoglio hit back at Senate President Karen Spilka saying “she has no idea what happens in the Senate.” DiZoglio, who was a state senator and representative before winning the race for auditor in 2022, said on social media that “if Madam President really forgets that I served with her in the Legislature for 10 years…hope she’s okay.” – Twitter, currently known as X

CONGESTION PRICING: Sen. Brendan Crighton, co-chair of the Legislature’s transportation committee, said congestion pricing should be on the table as the MBTA continues to grapple with budget gaps. – Boston Globe

ANTISEMITISM COMMISSION: The state antisemitism commission released a report with recommendations, including the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issuing guidelines and staffing the new Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team. – GBH News

NEWS NEXT DOOR

LIFE ON THE MERRIMACK: Merrimack Valley Transit plans to put solar-powered ferries in the water to connect Haverhill, Amesbury and Newburyport next year. – StreetsBlogMass

BAD BROMANCE: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Trump may have been all smiles at their White House meeting, but Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she isn’t interested in a “bromance with the federal regime.” She said she is willing to meet with Trump if the administration stops snatching people off the street and cuts to research dollars. – Boston Globe

SPRINGFIELD STREETS: The city of Springfield is getting $1.3 million from the millionaires tax for street paving next spring. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is finishing up a study of streets as the city prepares to pair the $1.3 million with another $5 million in annual Chapter 90 money. – MassLive

PARENTAL DISCRETION: Some Plymouth parents are raising concerns about a sexual education program for eighth graders. The curriculum was set to be implemented in October but delayed due to a parent and a priest’s concerns. – Plymouth Independent

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