October 1, 2026
FOR THE MOST PART, Democrats and Republicans in Massachusetts look ready to vote in lockstep with their party leadership on the suite of nine ballot questions heading their way. But there are two major exceptions: Republicans don’t have much interest in repealing a 2024 gun law and Democrats seem ready to force Beacon Hill’s Democratic leadership to comply with the state public records law.
In a new survey for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group (toplines | crosstabs), 55 percent of Republicans and those that lean Republican said they would vote yes on Question 9, which would keep the 2024 gun law in place, despite the party urging its members to vote no. Just 27 percent of the Republican likely voters said they would toss the law.
The sweeping gun law cracked down on ghost guns and broadened the definition of assault weapons, among other changes.
Support for retaining the law from the right seems stronger in the new MassINC Polling Group poll than a mid-August UMass Amherst/WCVB poll of registered voters, which found 49 percent of Republicans would vote to uphold it.
More than 80 percent of Democratic voters and leaners said they would vote to keep the law, as did about 60 percent of independents.
Though the Massachusetts Republican Party’s ballot guide recommending a no vote labels the question “Firearm Over Regulation,” the party’s position doesn’t “seem to have had as much of an impact as you might think,” said MassINC Polling Group president Steve Koczela. The takeaway, he said: “Party platforms don’t always represent the will of the voters.”
The MassGOP and Massachusetts Democratic Party shared their ballot question recommendations with CommonWealth Beacon, but did not comment further on their endorsements or party divides.
Question 1, which would apply the public records law to the Legislature and governor’s office, had the support of 61 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning votes, while 14 percent opposed the change and 25 percent were undecided.
The Legislature, where Democrats enjoy supermajority control in both chambers, has resisted efforts to make lawmakers subject to the full sweep of the law, which applies to municipal government offices and most executive branch state offices. The House and Senate both passed measures over the summer that would open their chambers to some public records requests – moves that could undercut the ballot question if it passes.
The Democratic State Committee adopted a position that seems to straddle the line between Democratic voters and Beacon Hill leaders, voting to support, but not officially endorse, Question 1.
The most forceful support for Question 1 comes from likely Republican voters, 70 percent of whom say they will vote yes. That puts them in synch with the Mass GOP, which recommends a yes vote on the measure.
Gov. Maura Healey supports the public records question, but has not offered a position on the House and Senate bills that would limit the scope of public records requests.
Strong voter support for Question 1 “is not particularly surprising,” Koczela said. “People want the Legislature to be more transparent than they feel like it is.” Republicans, he said, “could be expected to be more in favor of it, just because there’s fewer Republicans and they’re more antagonistic toward the Legislature itself.”
“It’s a very difficult sell to make to anybody that the Legislature and governor shouldn’t be subject to the public records law,” said Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts. “Straightforward good government questions will always resonate with voters.”
On other ballot questions, the MassGOP also recommends yes on Question 5, which would create a new formula for calculating allowable tax collections and more regularly prompt rebates to taxpayers. Republicans backed Question 5 by 59 percent to 23 percent. The Massachusetts Democratic Party supports voting no on the question, but Democrats leaned toward yes in the poll, 42 percent to 31 percent.
On Question 8, which would end legal recreational marijuana sales, Democrats opposed the question 69 percent to 20 percent. Republicans oppose the measure but by a smaller margin, 48 percent no to 42 percent yes. The state Democratic Party supports a no vote, while the MassGOP is staying neutral.
While the MassDems offered a recommendation on all of the questions, they only voted to formally endorse only two positions: opposition to Question 3, which would replace party primaries with a single primary in which the top two finishers advance, and support for Question 4, which would allow Election Day voter registration.
Democrats seem to be following suit, supporting Question 4 by 65 percent to 21 percent. Republicans, whose party opposes the measure, are narrowly opposed 47 percent no to 43 percent yes.
Both state parties oppose Question 3. MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale said in August that the effort is a “misguided initiative” that would “undermine core democratic principles.” Likewise, MassDems chair Steve Kerrigan said the proposed system “would give more power to wealthy donors and corporate PACs.”
Voters in each party seem to be taking the cue, from parties or the coalition of progressives, conservatives, and labor unions opposing the initiative. Democrats and leaners are cool to the pitch, split 42 percent yes to 35 percent no, with 22 percent undecided. This bodes poorly for the question, as undecided voters tend to break toward the status quo – in this case, a no vote – on ballot questions.
On the Republican side, no holds a narrow lead 45 to 42 percent.
Both Democrats and Republicans holding hands and marching against the all-party primaries measure is “something that should keep the campaign proponents up at night,” he said. Less than 50 percent support is “not a number you’d want to see this far out.”
The most open to the proposed election system were the ones outside formal party structure. Independents, without counting party leaners, are currently backing the initiative 51 percent to 23 percent.
“It makes some sense,” Koczela said, “because they don’t have any particular loyalty to either party, and already can vote in either [party’s primary]. So it would probably be the smallest change for them.”
Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
