This article is part of our series covering crucial proposed 2026 ballot initiatives and how you can support their campaigns.
The Problem
Massachusetts is one of the least transparent state governments in the country, which is another reason why our State House is the least productive state legislature in the country
We are the only state where all three branches of government are considered exempt from state public record laws. And only one other state (Michigan) besides Massachusetts exempts both the governor and legislature from these laws.
As a result, Massachusetts voters have little insight into what influences decisions made by the Governor or our legislators. In his testimony to the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight in June, Progressive Massachusetts Policy Director Jonathan Cohn said, "As other state governments understand, making executive records like calendars, emails and texts, visitor logs, and call logs accessible is key to accountability: when such documents are fully kept secret, the public is left in the dark about whom the Governor is meeting and why, and what they are prioritizing."
Previous efforts to reform our state public records law have repeatedly failed, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. There is a current bill (S.2210) that would require legislators and the governor to comply with the law, but it only has 3 co-sponsors. When the Boston Globe surveyed state lawmakers earlier this year about whether they supported no longer being exempt from the state public records law, 78% never bothered to respond. Of those who actually bothered to respond, only 12% said yes.
And yet greater transparency is popular with voters. In a survey conducted by University of Massachusetts Amherst in February, 68% of voters surveyed supported requiring all three branches of state government to fulfill public records requests made by "residents, journalists or interest groups".
The Solution
Since lawmakers are unwilling to act, the bipartisan Coalition for a Healthy Democracy has proposed a ballot initiative that would make most records held by the governor and legislature fall under state public records law with reasonable exemptions (e.g., correspondence between legislators and their constituents). This initiative would significantly improve the transparency and accountability of our state government, which is why we need to rally behind it.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant. If Massachusetts is going to tackle our very real challenges – from affordability and housing to transportation – we need a government the public can trust. That starts with ending the culture of secrecy on Beacon Hill.” —State Auditor Diana DiZoglio
Recommended Actions
- Sign up to volunteer with Partners In Democracy to collect signatures for this ballot initiative campaign as well as the campaigns for stipend reform, universal voting rights, and Election Day voter registration. Working with Partners In Democracy is an efficient way of supporting these campaigns because you can collect signatures for multiple ballot initiatives at once.
- Sign up to volunteer to gather signatures for this ballot initiative with Coalition for Healthy Democracy.
- Contact your state legislators to ask them to support the S.2210 that would expand the scope of Massachusetts public records law to include both the legislature and the governor. The passage of this bill would eliminate the need for this ballot initiative.
- Watch this presentation hosted by Progressive Massachusetts about the Joint Rules agreed by the Massachusetts House and Senate in late June. (See also the slide deck from the presentation.) As noted in the presentation, many of these rules were broken within weeks of their passage. In response, Progressive Massachusetts, Act on Mass, 350 Mass and allies are forming an accountability team that will work on ensuring these new rules are being followed. Sign up here.
