THE MASS BRIEF

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Nine ballot questions, one week left, and the polls may be misleading you

Massachusetts voters face a record-tying nine statewide questions on Nov. 3, covering everything from whether the Legislature and governor's office should be subject to the public records law (Question 1) to whether the recreational marijuana industry should survive (Question 8). That's the most since 1994, by CommonWealth Beacon's count. The Globe has produced video explainers on the first six, and CommonWealth Beacon has a plain-English rundown of all nine.

Here's the part worth sitting with: eight of the nine questions show a lead for "yes" in recent polling, which sounds like a forecast. It isn't. CommonWealth Beacon's polling analysis points out that undecided voters tend to break late, and toward "no," on ballot questions. That means a "yes" lead below 50 percent is shakier than it looks. Questions 2 through 7 are, by that measure, far less settled than the toplines suggest.

Money is also telling a story. Question 8, the effort to eliminate the recreational marijuana industry, has now become the most expensive question on the ballot at nearly $6.5 million, passing the all-party primary measure (Question 3) at $5.9 million. More than $3.7 million of the anti-pot campaign came from one Virginia-based nonprofit, SAM Action Inc., while industry opponents of the measure have spent over $2.8 million fighting back.

If you want time with the ballot, today is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot, though if you're requesting now, you'll want to return it in person rather than trust the mail.

Full story at CommonWealth Beacon →

Minogue accuses Healey of a trooper endorsement deal; everyone else says no. Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue alleged on Facebook that Gov. Maura Healey traded a State Police contract for the union's endorsement. The union called the claim "categorically false," and Healey's campaign called it "an unhinged rant." The backdrop is a supplemental budget Healey filed in September that includes a $30 million reserve for salary adjustments and has passed the House. Expect this to echo through the final week. WBUR → | Boston 25 →

Wildfire in the Berkshires brings out the National Guard. A blaze that began in Berlin, N.Y. has crossed into Williamstown and burned nearly 160 acres of heavily wooded terrain. Healey is activating about eight National Guard members to drop water on rocky areas firefighters can't reach on foot. Williamstown's fire chief expects full containment by Tuesday evening and says no homes are in immediate danger, but rain isn't in the forecast for several days. Boston Globe →

The Boston City Council subpoenaed the T's top boss. Now what? Councilors voted last week to subpoena MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to testify Nov. 6 about the controversial $164 million Blue Hill Avenue redesign. Neither Eng nor the T has said whether he'll show. Lawyers told the Globe that enforcing the subpoena could mean hiring outside counsel and a court fight over whether the council can compel a state employee at all. One former city law chief called it "fraught with political and legal peril." Boston Globe →

Deaths at the Suffolk County House of Corrections get a public airing. At a lengthy council hearing Monday, families and advocates demanded answers about in-custody deaths and violence at the jail. Druesilla Brown, whose son Shacoby Kenny died there in December 2025, in a death the medical examiner ruled a homicide, asked through tears, "How is there no accountability for this?" GBH News →

Westborough's police chief is on leave. Chief Todd Minardi was found asleep in a Ford Explorer near a Shrewsbury liquor store Friday after callers reported the vehicle had been there since Thursday, according to police records. He was taken to UMass Memorial, and the town placed him on administrative leave and plans to hire an outside investigator. Boston Globe → | Boston 25 →

A kidnapping scare ends safely in Everett. Police say a 26-year-old Malden man stole a car in Lynn with a 6-year-old girl inside, and Everett officers stopped it on Revere Beach Parkway before an Amber Alert was needed. The child was checked at Mass General and reunited with her parents. The suspect faces kidnapping and child endangerment charges. Boston.com →

• Today: Deadline to request a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3 election. WBUR →
• Nov. 3: Election Day, with all nine ballot questions on the line. CommonWealth Beacon →
• Nov. 6: Boston City Council hearing where MBTA chief Phil Eng has been subpoenaed to appear. Boston Globe →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Daniel Wong (Democratic) — City Councilor, Somerville — Filed: 10/27/2026

OCPF →

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