Fix the process, don’t raise the barriers.
Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive ballot initiative systems in the country. So why are lawmakers considering new barriers instead of fixing what’s broken?
Adopted in 1918, Article 48 gave Massachusetts citizens a way to act when the Legislature won’t. Reforms to Article 48 should preserve direct democracy, improve judicial review, maintain transparency, and streamline the signature-gathering process.
Our policy brief highlights this path. Two targeted reforms would strengthen the process without shutting citizens out:
- Review legal questions earlier, so constitutional problems and flawed summaries get caught before campaigns spend months and millions, not after.
- Give citizens more time to gather signatures, easing reliance on paid firms while keeping every existing safeguard in place.
