The Ballot Brief
Massachusetts ballot measures · 2026

Question 3 Top-Two State Primary Elections

Ballot measures › Massachusetts 2026 › Question 3

Initiated state statuteOn the November 3, 2026 ballot

Massachusetts Question 3 (Top-Two State Primary Elections) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Replace separate party primaries with a single primary open to all candidates, with the top two finishers advancing to November

What a yes or no vote means

A YES vote Supports a single all-candidate primary in which the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party.
A NO vote Keeps the current separate party primary system.
Read the certified ballot question

Replace separate party primaries with a single primary open to all candidates, with the top two finishers advancing to November

How Question 3 reached the ballot

Massachusetts uses an indirect initiative: petitions for statutes or constitutional amendments need signatures equal to 3 percent of the last gubernatorial vote (74,574 for 2026, with no more than a quarter from one county) and go to the Legislature first. If lawmakers decline an initiative statute, sponsors collect a smaller second round (12,429) to force it onto the ballot; amendment petitions instead need support from a quarter of legislators in two successive joint sessions. Questions pass by simple majority, provided yes votes also equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast.

Verify with the state: official full text and details →. Wording above follows the certified ballot language; The Ballot Brief does not take positions on measures.

See everything else on your Massachusetts ballot

Other Massachusetts statewide measures in 2026

Question 1: Expanding the Public Records LawQuestion 2: Collective Bargaining for Public DefendersQuestion 4: Election Day Voter RegistrationQuestion 5: State Revenue Limit and RebateQuestion 6: Natural Resource Conservation FundQuestion 7: Single-Family Homes on Smaller LotsQuestion 8: Prohibit Retail Sale of Recreational MarijuanaQuestion 9: Firearm Regulations Referendum

All Massachusetts 2026 ballot measures · Massachusetts candidates