Besides the nine statewide ballot questions, voters in 14 Massachusetts House districts will see nonbinding public policy questions on their Nov. 3, 2026 ballots. These Massachusetts nonbinding ballot questions ask whether the district’s state representative should be instructed to take a particular action on Beacon Hill, including abolishing Norfolk County government, a carbon fee, social housing, single-payer health care and legislative stipends.
According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, state law lets voters petition to place such questions on the ballot in their own legislative district. The questions record voters’ opinions on what their legislator should or should not do, and they have no binding effect on state law. Whatever the result, the representative is not legally required to follow it.
Where the nonbinding questions appear on the ballot
The questions are listed after the binding statewide questions, so in most districts they appear as Question 10. In districts with more than one nonbinding question, or with local questions, the same item can carry a different number. The state notes that the legislative stipends question appears as Question 11 in Falmouth and in the Fifteenth Middlesex district, as Question 11 in North Reading and as Question 12 in Reading. Voters can check their own sample ballot through the state’s Where Do I Vote tool.
Abolishing Norfolk County government
Voters in the First Bristol and Fifth Norfolk representative districts will be asked whether their representative should be instructed to file and support legislation abolishing Norfolk County government. The question does not itself abolish anything; it asks only how the representative should act.
A carbon fee with monthly payments to residents
In the First Essex and Eighth Essex districts, the question asks whether the representative should be instructed to introduce and vote for legislation placing a fee on the carbon content of fossil fuels “to compensate for their environmental pollution,” with the proceeds returned directly to residents as monthly payments.
Social housing in Sixth Worcester
Only the Sixth Worcester district has the social housing question. It asks whether the representative should vote for legislation creating a statewide social housing authority, funded by a tax on vacant properties and on wealth and inheritances over $5 million. As worded on the ballot, the authority would guarantee residents a right to publicly owned, union-built housing, cap costs at 10% of monthly household income and place the housing under tenants’ democratic management.
Single-payer health care
Voters in the First Hampden and Fifteenth Middlesex districts will be asked whether their representative should vote for a single-payer system of universal health care. As described in the question, it would cover all Massachusetts residents, allow free choice of doctors and facilities, and replace insurance companies with a publicly administered insurance trust fund.
Legislative stipends: the most widely listed question
The question on legislative stipends, which the ballot describes as “extra pay,” appears in the most districts. It asks whether the representative should be instructed to vote for legislation or rules that reduce the House speaker’s and Senate president’s control over stipends and pay them only to legislators who do significant extra work that is “transparent and accountable to the public.” It is listed in eight districts:
- Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket
- Thirteenth Middlesex
- Fourteenth Middlesex
- Fifteenth Middlesex
- Twentieth Middlesex
- Twenty-Fifth Middlesex
- Twenty-Ninth Middlesex
- Thirty-Second Middlesex
Fifteenth Middlesex voters therefore see two nonbinding questions: single-payer health care and stipends.
How nonbinding questions differ from Questions 1-9
The nine statewide questions would change state law directly if approved, or in the case of Question 9, decide whether an existing law stays. A nonbinding public policy question changes nothing by itself. Its result is a public record of district opinion that legislators may weigh when bills come up. Results are reported with other election returns by cities and towns, and certified statewide results are later posted on the state’s election statistics site. For a plain-language summary of the binding questions, see our guide to all nine Massachusetts ballot questions in the Election Tracker.
Boston voters will not see any of these nonbinding district questions, according to the state’s list, since none of the listed districts is a Suffolk County district. Early in-person voting continues through Friday, Oct. 30, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
More Massachusetts election coverage
- Massachusetts Election Tracker 2026: races, deadlines and ballot questions
- How Massachusetts elections work
- How to register to vote in Massachusetts
- How to find Massachusetts election and campaign records
- Boston Events Calendar: election dates, City Hall meetings and public hearings
Sources
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: 2026 State Election Ballot Questions (Non-Binding Public Policy Questions)
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Polling Hours
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Early Voting
Additional sources
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Where Do I Vote
- Massachusetts Election Statistics
- The 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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