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Over the last few election cycles, ballot initiatives have become a headache for state lawmakers, as voters approved decoupling the MCAS test from a high school education requirement and signed off on giving the state auditor the authority to dig into their finances.
With 2026 approaching, Beacon Hill may want to stock up on Excedrin as three proposals look to upend the current electoral process, wrench parts of lawmaking into the spotlight and bypass the Legislature on reviving rent control.
Danielle Allen, a Harvard University professor who dropped out of the 2022 Democratic primary for governor, plans to file two ballot questions that target the Legislature, with Jesse Littlewood as the campaign manager. One seeks to eliminate partisan primaries as a way to foster competitive elections that are few and far between in Massachusetts. (The top two vote-getters would advance to the final, as in Boston mayoral elections.)
The other is an initiative that would bring the Legislature and the governor’s office under the state public records law. Adding to the intrigue: Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who hit the 2024 campaign trail for her successful audit-the-Legislature ballot question, has signed on to Allen’s proposal.
Separately, rent control advocates are taking another run at a statewide ballot question after abandoning a similar effort two years ago. Rent control legislation, including bills pushed by Boston mayors Tom Menino and Michelle Wu, has repeatedly died on Beacon Hill amid opposition from real estate interests.
The initiative, if it makes it onto the 2026 ballot, seeks to revive a policy that Massachusetts voters killed more than 30 years ago. Since then, housing demand has outstripped supply, lurching the state into an affordability crisis and sparking calls for a return to rent control. Rent control opponents say the policy will have the opposite effect, leading to higher rents, fewer available units and apartment owners deciding against investing in housing stock.
The previous rent control initiative in 2023 fell apart during the signature-gathering phase. State Rep. Mike Connolly, a leading proponent at the time, said he faced pushback from the Homes For All Coalition, which includes City Life/Vida Urbana, Lynn United for Change and consulting firm Field First.
The coalition, headed up by Carolyn Chou, is now behind the ballot question targeted for 2026. The proposal calls for limiting annual rent increases to cost-of-living increases, and capping them at 5%. Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, and new construction for the first 10 years, would be exempt.
Others looking at ballot initiatives include SEIU Local 888, which wants a path to collective bargaining for employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and the Pioneer Institute’s Andrew Mikula, who filed a petition to encourage the construction of “starter homes.”
Wednesday marks the first deadline in the initiative petition process, requiring organizers to submit paperwork signed by 10 people to the attorney general’s office. More signature-gathering is required in the months ahead.
There are still plenty of hurdles for each ballot campaign. Which are likeliest to make the 2026 ballot, and how will they affect State House races? Let me know what you think: [email protected].
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HAPPENING TODAY
10:30 | Texas Senate Democrats host press conference with state legislators from across U.S. "to speak out against the ongoing attempts to rig congressional maps in a mid-decade redistricting and attacks on voting rights in state legislatures and courts," according to the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus. | State House steps, Boston
11:30 | SEIU Local 888, joined by employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services gather before making their way to the attorney general's office to file a proposed 2026 ballot initiative that organizers say would provide CPCS employees with a clear path to collective bargaining. | State House Ashburton Park Entrance (on Bowdoin Street), Boston
6:30 | National Conference of State Legislatures annual legislative summit draws to a close with a concert. Senate President Karen Spilka "conducts the Boston Pops Orchestra for a rendition of Stars and Stripes," according to her office. | Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston
FROM BEACON HILL
MASKS OFF: Massachusetts state lawmakers were joined by counterparts from New York and Pennsylvania in support of a ban on federal agents wearing masks while carrying out immigration enforcement. – GBH News
‘POWER GRAB’: Gov. Maura Healey called a proposal to redraw congressional lines to stem Republican losses in the midterms a “craven, political power grab,” as she hosted Texas Democrats who left their state to stop their legislature from voting on a new map. — Boston Globe
PRIMARY PILE-ON: Mike Kennealy, a GOP candidate for governor and a former Baker cabinet chief, took in fire from both sides as Massachusetts conservatives and top Democrats hit him for oversight of state-funded emergency family shelters. – Boston Herald
MASSDOT TRANSFER: Several parkways would be transferred to the state transportation department from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, under the environmental bond bill proposed by Gov. Maura Healey. The parkways include the Charles River Dam Road in Boston and Cambridge, as well as the Revere Beach Parkway. – Mass. StreetsBlog
NEWS NEXT DOOR
RISING RENTS: Rent spikes are hitting cities and towns across the country. A panel at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual summit grappled with the issue and how the nation needs to build 4.3 million housing units by 2035 to ease the crisis. – State House News Service
BAR ADVOCATE CRISIS: Despite the raise for bar advocates, thousands of indigent defendants are still without a lawyer and hundreds of cases could get dismissed. – MassLive
‘SANCTUARY’ LIST: The Trump administration took Massachusetts off a list of “sanctuary” communities that were “deliberately and shamefully obstructing” enforcement of federal immigration laws. Lawrence was among the several cities removed, while Boston remains on the list. – Eagle-Tribune
SELLING HIGH: Boston-area home sellers are making a median of $277,000 in profit, a margin that is among the highest in the country. – Boston Business Journal
PUBLIC MEDIA, RANKED: WBUR and GBH are among the public radio stations that have built up online audiences, which could help them as they face federal funding cuts. A look at the top 25 sites across the country, ranked by monthly visits for June, places WBUR at No. 5 and GBH at No. 9. – Nieman Lab
EX-ANCHOR SUIT: Kate Merrill, the former WBZ-TV anchor, is suing the station, CBS and Paramount, claiming the station took “career-ending action” against her to “advance a DEI agenda.” – Universal Hub
FULL STEAM AHEAD: The general manager of the Steamship Authority is getting a 10.6% pay boost three months before jumping to a senior advisor role, under an agreement unanimously approved by the authority’s board. – Martha’s Vineyard Times
‘DIRTY’ DEEDS: The Southern Essex Registry of Deeds, run by Eileen Duff, is removing racist and discriminatory language in hundreds of North Shore deeds, identified by a nonprofit and the North Shore NAACP, as well as legal interns at the University of Massachusetts law school. – Boston.com
OVERDOSE DEATHS: The city of Worcester had just 13 overdose deaths through April 2025. – WBUR
SOUTH COAST BUYOUT: State officials are considering a voluntary buyout program for South Coast homeowners who face a high risk of flooding. – New Bedford Light
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Financial analyst, City of Newton
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