Massachusetts House Passes Legislation to Strengthen Transparency and Accountability for Ballot Question Campaigns

BOSTON – The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation to strengthen campaign finance disclosure requirements for statewide ballot question campaigns, providing voters with more timely, transparent, and accessible information before they cast their ballots. The bill also establishes a special legislative commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the statewide initiative petition process under Article XLVIII of the Massachusetts Constitution and provide recommendations by 2027.  

“Over the past several years, we have seen a growing number of well-funded special interest groups turn to the ballot to advance their agendas through one up-or-down vote, bypassing the negotiation and compromise inherent to the legislative process. Oftentimes, the opposition is equally well-resourced, which has led to high-stakes litigation and, in some cases, judicial removal of questions from the ballot,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “The bill that the House passed today responds to widespread concerns about the ballot question process by strengthening transparency in ballot question campaigns, and by laying the groundwork for future necessary reforms to ensure that the initiative petition process will remain worthy of the public's trust.”  

“Requiring ballot campaigns to file monthly financial disclosure reports brings them in line with the same accountability and transparency standards that political candidates and political action committees are subject to,” said Representative Tackey Chan (D-Quincy). “This long-overdue legislation will allow the public to see where campaign money comes from, how it is being spent, and help voters make more informed decisions on future ballot questions.” 

"I am proud to support this legislation because voters deserve transparency and accountability throughout the ballot question process," said Representative Bruce J. Ayers (D-Quincy). "By strengthening campaign finance disclosure requirements and increasing public access to information, we are helping ensure that Massachusetts residents can make informed decisions at the ballot box." 

The legislation modernizes Massachusetts' campaign finance laws by bringing statewide ballot question committees under many of the same reporting standards that apply to candidates for public office. Under the bill, ballot question committees would report campaign finance activity through the Office of Campaign and Political Finance's (OCPF) electronic depository system, allowing contributions and expenditures to be disclosed more frequently rather than only during limited reporting periods before an election. 

The bill also expands disclosure obligations for contributions, expenditures, liabilities, and in-kind donations, and requires expedited reporting of large late contributions received shortly before an election. 

In addition to strengthening campaign finance transparency, the legislation requires petitions circulated by paid signature gatherers to clearly indicate that the circulator is being compensated and direct voters to OCPF's website, where campaign finance reports for committees supporting or opposing the ballot question are publicly available. 

The bill also protects the integrity of the signature gathering process by prohibiting per-signature compensation and other incentive payments tied to the number of signatures collected. Violations would be subject to financial penalties, and following each statewide election, the Secretary of the Commonwealth would certify compliance with the law's signature gathering requirements. 

The legislation strengthens oversight by requiring OCPF to issue public post-election compliance reports evaluating whether ballot question committees complied with campaign finance reporting and disclosure laws.  

Finally, the bill establishes a thirteen-member special legislative commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the statewide initiative petition process under Article XLVIII of the Massachusetts Constitution and to submit recommendations, including proposed constitutional amendments where appropriate, by December 31, 2027.  

The commission will examine: the scope of the Attorney General’s certification authority and whether to include an evaluation to determine if a proposed measure, if enacted, would violate provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution or the U.S. Constitution; the process for ensuring voters receive a fair and concise summary of an initiative petition, and whether corrections could be made after publication or after signatures have been collected; signature gathering requirements; and applicable timeframes and procedural deadlines.  

The bill passed the House of Representatives 149-0 and now returns to the Senate for further consideration.