Ballot initiative mechanics in Massachusetts

State page·Verified 2026-07-10

This page covers Massachusetts's specific rules. For the general mechanics, see how ballot initiatives work. Massachusetts allows two initiative paths: indirect initiated statutes, which go through the Legislature first, and constitutional amendments, which need legislative approval in two successive sessions before reaching voters. Both are governed by Article 48 of the state constitution.

Massachusetts's process

For a statute initiative, proponents draft the measure, get 10 registered voters to sign it, and file with the Attorney General's Office by the first Wednesday in August of the year before the election. The Attorney General certifies whether the measure meets constitutional requirements, including that it avoids excluded subjects: religion or religious institutions, judicial appointments, tenure, removal or compensation, the powers or existence of courts, reversing a judicial decision, laws limited to a single locality, or specific appropriations from the treasury.

After certification, proponents collect first-round signatures equal to 3 percent of the last gubernatorial vote, with no more than a quarter of certified signatures coming from any single county. The petition then goes to the Legislature, which has until the first Wednesday in May to act. If lawmakers don't pass it, proponents collect a second, smaller round of signatures, 0.5 percent of the gubernatorial vote, by the first Wednesday in July, to reach the November ballot.

Deadlines and numbers

First-round signatures: 3 percent of votes cast for governor (74,574 for the current cycle)
County cap: no more than 25 percent of certified signatures from any one county (about 18,643-18,644 signatures)
Filing with Attorney General: first Wednesday in August, the year before the election
Legislature deadline to act: first Wednesday in May
Second-round signatures if the Legislature does not act: 0.5 percent of votes cast for governor (about 12,429), due first Wednesday in July

Where to go

Mass.gov, The initiative petition process: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/the-initiative-petition-process
Mass.gov, Constitutional requirements for initiative petitions: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/constitutional-requirements-for-initiative-petitions
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Guide to Statewide Ballot Question Petitions (PDF): https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/download/getting-on-the-ballot/Guide-to-Statewide-Ballot-Questions-2025-26.pdf

Rules

Massachusetts's process is indirect by design: a citizen petition doesn't go straight to voters, it goes to the Legislature first, and only reaches the ballot if lawmakers decline to act. That gives the Legislature a real chance to pass a compromise version or the original measure outright, which is part of why the two-round signature structure exists: a smaller first round to get the Legislature's attention, a smaller top-up round if that doesn't work.

The list of excluded subjects is longer and more specific than in many states, ruling out anything touching courts, religion, or narrowly local questions. Constitutional amendments run on an entirely different, multi-year timeline requiring approval in two successive legislative sessions, and this dossier did not separately verify signature numbers for that track in the next cycle. It also found no confirmed filing fee for initiative petitions. The process appears to require no monetary payment, but no official source states that outright. For help navigating a Massachusetts campaign, see /engage.