November 3, 2026 · State Election

2026 Ballot Questions

Nine statewide questions are on your ballot. Here is where the Yarmouth Republican Town Committee stands — and a cheat sheet to take with you.

At its September 9, 2026 meeting, the Yarmouth Republican Town Committee voted to endorse the Cape Cod Concerned Citizens ballot question recommendations, with one change: Question 8 moved from NO to YES.

↓ Download the cheat sheet (PDF)

1
Expanding the Public Records Law
Makes many records of the Governor’s Office and Legislature subject to the Public Records Law, increasing government transparency.
YES
Government should be more transparent and accountable to taxpayers.
2
Collective Bargaining for CPCS Employees
Allows public defenders and other Committee for Public Counsel Services employees to unionize and bargain collectively.
NO
Expands public-sector unions and could increase long-term taxpayer costs.
3
State Primary Elections
Replaces party primaries with a “top-two” primary in which all candidates run together regardless of party affiliation.
NO
Preserves party primaries and prevents weakening political parties through a top-two system.
4
Election Day Registration
Allows eligible voters to register and vote on Election Day.
NO
Protects election integrity by allowing time to verify voter eligibility before ballots are cast.
5
State Revenue Limit & Rebate
Caps state tax revenue growth and requires excess collections to be returned to taxpayers.
YES
Returns excess tax collections to taxpayers instead of allowing government spending to continually grow.
6
Natural Resource Conservation Fund
Dedicates certain existing sales tax revenue to conservation and environmental projects.
NO
Conservation is important, but Massachusetts has not demonstrated it can manage taxpayer dollars responsibly. More dedicated funding should come only after existing funds are managed more effectively.
7
Single Family Homes
Overrides some local zoning rules to allow single-family homes on smaller lots in qualifying areas.
NO
Local communities — not Beacon Hill — should retain control over zoning and development decisions.
8
Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana
Repeals legalization of recreational marijuana sales while leaving medical marijuana in place.
A YES vote stops retail sales. A NO vote keeps them.
YES
MA is cashing in on cannabis while public health pays the price.
9
Firearms Regulation
Asks whether to keep the 2024 firearms law (Chapter 135).
Read this one carefully: a YES vote KEEPS the law; a NO vote REPEALS it.
NO
Vote NO to repeal Chapter 135 and restore our Second Amendment rights.

Expect a long ballot — likely three pages. Turn it over and finish every page. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Read the Fine Print

Nine questions, a ballot that will likely run three pages, and wording that does not always mean what it sounds like. You are not imagining it. Here is what to watch for.

Question 9 is asked backwards.

You will not be asked whether to repeal the 2024 gun law. You will be asked whether to approve it. That flips the answer: a YES vote keeps Chapter 135, and a NO vote repeals it. If you oppose the law, vote NO.

The law was put into effect before you could vote on it.

More than 78,000 Massachusetts voters signed to put Chapter 135 on the ballot — more than double what was required. Enough signatures can suspend a law until the people decide. On October 2, 2024, Governor Healey signed an emergency preamble that put the law into effect immediately and took that option off the table. By the time you vote, it will have been the law for more than two years.

Senator Julian Cyr voted for it.

Chapter 135 came out of a House–Senate conference committee. On July 18, 2024, the Senate accepted that final version 35–5. Senator Julian Cyr, who represents Yarmouth and the rest of the Cape and Islands, voted YES. See Senate Roll Call #208 »

Friendly titles, heavy lifting.

  • Question 7, “Single Family Homes,” overrides local zoning to allow homes on smaller lots — a decision Yarmouth makes for itself today.
  • Question 3, “State Primary Elections,” replaces party primaries with a top-two system. The title does not say so.
  • Question 6 does not raise a new tax. It dedicates part of the sales tax you already pay to one purpose.
  • Question 2’s “CPCS” is the Committee for Public Counsel Services — the state’s public defenders. The question lets its employees unionize.

Who writes the words you read in the booth.

The summary of each question is written by the Attorney General’s office. The one-sentence statements of what a YES and a NO vote do are written jointly by the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Both offices are held by Democrats — Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Secretary William Galvin — and both are on your ballot this November.

Our advice is simple: take the cheat sheet with you, read every question to the end, and finish every page.

Sources: Senate Roll Call #208 (H.4885), July 18, 2024 · Ballotpedia: Massachusetts Firearm Regulations Referendum (2026) · M.G.L. c.54 §53 · Ballotpedia: 2026 state executive elections

The Cheat Sheet

2026 Massachusetts ballot questions cheat sheet: 1 YES, 2 NO, 3 NO, 4 NO, 5 YES, 6 NO, 7 NO, 8 YES, 9 NO

Tap the image to open the printable PDF. Questions? Contact the committee.

Want to know when things like this happen in Yarmouth? Sign up for local issue alerts →Forest Road, the housing authority, zoning — just the alerts, nothing more.

Last updated: September 11, 2026