An early-October burst of spending by opponents of an attempt to eliminate the recreational marijuana industry has pushed the total amount spent on that measure (Question 8) to nearly $6.5 million. That’s a good chunk more than the $5.9 million spent for and against the all-party primary question so far.

We've been conditioned for years to read polls based on who is ahead, but we should not apply the same "horse race" lens used in candidate races to ballot question polls.

The question before Massachusetts voters cannot be reduced to whether firearm regulations should be more or less restrictive—it is whether the Commonwealth should preserve an additional pathway for intervention when credible warning signs are present.

Under a regulatory proposal introduced at an October 22 CCC meeting, individuals 18 and over – regardless of what state they live in – diagnosed with a "debilitating medical condition" by a certified health care provider in Massachusetts can register to purchase medical marijuana.

Welcome back to CommonWealth Beacon‘s Election 2026 newsletter run. There is a lot to sort through before you head to the polls on November 3, and much of the space […]

On this special episode of The Codcast, we answer listener-submitted questions all about the field of nine ballot questions this November.

Gov. Healey has taken crucial steps to reverse the downward trajectory our transit systems were on. Part of the reason why this has gone unnoticed is that there remains so much to do to bring our transit systems up to the level that users deserve.

Welcome to CommonWealth Beacon‘s Election 2026 newsletter run. The most generous thing we can say about electoral competitiveness in Massachusetts is that it’s gotten marginally better since the last cycle […]

Massachusetts isn’t alone in the rising share of households facing energy insecurity around the country, yet the state, as wealthy as it is, sticks out given its high cost of living and increasing utility bills.

More than $38 million in debt relief will be distributed to 69,527 people in eastern Mass. through a partnership involving the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

Pollsters asked about the proposed law to eliminate the time limit for filing civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse. Respondents overwhelmingly said they would strongly (60 percent) or somewhat (24 percent) support this change, and 79 percent said they would like their state legislators to vote for it.

Question 3 moves the final decision from the elections that most people ignore to the ones that have high participation

Democracy reform is personal for me. The first time I walked into the State House, I was a 16-year-old youth organizer advocating for our civics education bill with other Gateway City kids.

Question 3 would eliminate the ability of Bay State parties to police the use of their party labels by candidates in elections and sever the only meaningful accountability link between candidates/officeholders and party platforms.  

House Democrats say that they are not confident consumers would see savings reflected at the pump while the state lost revenue that is dedicated for transportation. 

The law focuses on the root causes of gun violence to make all Massachusetts communities safer – and it is working.

Even before Gov. Maura Healey entered the heart of campaign season — one that has been defined by skyrocketing energy costs and affordability issues — her administration has seemed sensitive to the price tag attached to the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars likely needed to support a sweeping green transition.

Community colleges, with their enrollment buoyed by tuition-free policies in recent years, "remain the largest source of new transfers at the state universities," said Mario Delci, associate commissioner for research and planning.

“Because restriction of firearm possession by those deemed too young to handle them safely outside of supervised settings is consistent with the nation's regulatory tradition," Wolohojian wrote, the majority upheld the lower court’s conviction.

Gov. Healey is right to look at this issue. Unfortunately, the proposal included in her supplemental budget bill, called “The Great Divide Act,” will likely only make the problem worse.

We should be fighting against that market domination, not enacting legislation that further enables it.

Given recent AI hacking incidents, CommonWealth Beacon checked back in with state officials to see how they’re protecting resident data flowing through an AI assistant. Here’s what you need to know.

Ballots are already printed with Oliver's name next to Minogue's as a joint ticket, and over 200,000 voters have already cast their ballots through early voting.

A debate between the campaigns supporting and opposing ballot Question 3 and the effort to bring all-party primaries to Massachusetts

For the first time since Barack Obama was president, Massachusetts did not land in dead last in Ballotpedia's biennial assessment of state legislative competition across the country.