Illustration of a ballot being placed in a ballot box in front of voting booths, representing Massachusetts Question 3 on all-party primaries.

Massachusetts Question 3: Wu, Baker Split on All-Party Primaries

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With early voting in Boston set to begin Saturday, Oct. 17, the debate over Massachusetts Question 3 is drawing in some of the city’s best-known political figures. The ballot measure would replace separate party primaries for state elections with a single all-party primary in which the top two finishers advance to November. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley have said they oppose it, while former governors Charlie Baker and Deval Patrick have endorsed it.

What Massachusetts Question 3 would do

According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s official voter information, a yes vote “would eliminate separate party primaries for state elections and require a single primary in which all candidates appear on one ballot, voters could vote for any candidate, and the top two candidates would advance to the general election.” A no vote would make no change to current primary law.

The Attorney General’s summary says the law would also require candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run jointly in the primary and would give political party status to any group whose candidates for statewide office receive at least 3 percent of the primary vote. WBUR reported that ballots would list each candidate’s party affiliation and, on request, which parties have endorsed them.

The change would cover statewide offices, U.S. House and Senate races, the Legislature, the Governor’s Council and county and district offices such as sheriff and district attorney, according to WBUR and Boston.com. It would not change municipal elections, so Boston’s nonpartisan races for mayor and City Council would work as they do now, and it would not affect presidential primaries. If approved, the law would take effect Jan. 1, 2028. The state’s fiscal statement says it has no discernible material fiscal consequences for state or municipal finances.

The case for a yes vote

The measure is backed by Harvard professor Danielle Allen and the Coalition for Healthy Democracy. In the official ballot argument, supporters wrote that “two-thirds of the legislature is running unopposed” and that all-party primaries would make elections more competitive. In a Q&A published by The Boston Globe on Oct. 15, Allen said the change would shift the decisive contest from a low-turnout September primary to the November election, when “50 to 70 percent of the electorate” votes.

Supporters have pointed to Boston races to make their case. Jerren Chang, president of Partners in Democracy, cited the recent state Senate primary in his district, in which incumbent Sen. Nick Collins defeated fellow Democrat Latoya Gayle with about 11,000 votes in a district of 180,000 people and faces no Republican in November, WBUR reported. Backers listed by Boston.com include Baker, Patrick, Auditor Diana DiZoglio, former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, NAACP Boston president Tanisha Sullivan and the mayors of Malden, Medford, Fitchburg and New Bedford.

“All-party primaries will give voters more choice and our elected officials will have to reach across the aisle to voters from other parties if they want to be successful,” Baker said in a statement reported by Boston.com.

The case for a no vote

Opponents, organized as Voter Rights MA, wrote in the official ballot argument that top-two systems in California and Washington “have favored wealthy, self-funded candidates” and would shut third-party and independent candidates out of the general election. They also argued that November ballots could end up with two candidates from the same party.

Wu announced her opposition on Oct. 9. “Our primary system plays a central role in educating voters and bringing new progressive ideas and candidates into office, including the most diverse group of elected leaders in state history,” she said in a statement released by the No on 3 campaign. Pressley, whose district includes much of Boston, said in a statement reported by Boston.com that the measure could “shut out working class candidates, candidates of color, and first-time candidates in favor of those who have fast access to massive wealth.”

No on 3 chair Jordan Berg Powers told WBUR that a single primary would dilute the influence of Black voters, who he said are more likely to vote in Democratic primaries. The Massachusetts Democratic and Republican parties both oppose the question, as do U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and unions including the Massachusetts Teachers Association and 32BJ SEIU, according to Boston.com.

What the Legislature and researchers found

A majority of the Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions voted on May 4, 2026, to recommend no action on the proposal. Its report, printed in the state voter guide, said testimony raised concerns about vote splitting, voter confusion and costs, and cited research finding that California’s switch raised primary turnout but lowered general election turnout. In June, the Supreme Judicial Court rejected a lawsuit seeking to remove the question from the ballot, WBUR reported.

A nonpartisan analysis by Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis, quoted by WBUR, found that “limited evidence suggests this approach may modestly reduce polarization and slightly increase primary election turnout,” while also drawing more money into races and making minor-party candidates less likely to run. In her Globe interview, Allen said California and Washington have diversified their legislatures faster than Massachusetts.

Polling, money and the calendar

A CommonWealth Beacon and MassINC poll found 43 percent of likely voters supporting the switch, 36 percent opposed and about 20 percent undecided, Boston.com reported. Citing state campaign finance data, Boston.com reported that the Yes committee had more than $589,000 on hand compared with about $116,000 for the No committee. The No campaign has said the Yes side raised nearly $7 million, much of it from a small number of large donors.

Question 3 is one of nine statewide questions on the Nov. 3 ballot, which we break down in our guide to the 2026 Massachusetts governor race and ballot questions. Wu has also taken a position on Question 8, as covered in our report on the mayor’s opposition to the marijuana repeal. Boston voters can cast ballots early from Oct. 17 through Oct. 30; details are in our Boston early voting guide. The voter registration deadline is Saturday, Oct. 24, according to the city’s Election Department.

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