By Matthew Medsger | August 6, 2025

Wednesday was initiative petition deadline day in the Bay State, and the Attorney General’s office received petitions for more than 40 potential ballot questions — with subjects ranging from rent control and building affordable housing to new rules surrounding voting and conservation.

Several of the petitions sent to AG Andrea Campbell’s office deal with the same issue, and in total, there are about two-and-a-half dozen sets of proposed changes to the law or state constitution.

Potential changes to state law could be on the ballot in 2026, while proposed constitutional amendments would go up for a vote in 2028.

Here’s a brief rundown of some of what was filed:

A statewide rent control petition was filed by the group Homes for All Massachusetts, and if made law it would limit rent increases to the lesser of 5% or the yearly cost of living change. Advocates say it’s needed to help curb the high cost of living in Massachusetts, but not everyone is convinced.

“Rent control is a failed, misguided policy that stifles housing creation and disincentivizes unit upkeep and maintenance. Rent control supporters continue to resurrect ineffective rent control proposals year after year, offering tenants false hope that will not solve the problem. Government price controls will only make the housing crisis worse,” Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, said in a statement.

A petition offered by the Pioneer Institute’s Senior Fellow on Housing Andrew Mikula — acting in his personal capacity — would amend state zoning laws to allow the construction of homes on lots as small as 5,000 square feet with at least 50 feet of frontage and water and sewer service.

“By allowing homes on smaller lots, this petition would increase the potential number of homes able to be built in a given area while helping lower per-unit land costs in new residential development,” Mikula told the Herald.

Two versions of a voter ID law were offered by Jeff Cohen, the chair of the Wilmington Republican Town Committee, and they both aim to make it so voters must show ID to vote in person, provide a copy of their ID when voting by mail, or sign an affidavit attesting to their identification.

Secretary of State Bill Galvin filed an initiative petition which would allow people to register and vote on the day of elections. Galvin has indicated his belief that the Legislature could write his petition into law on their own, but he also offered his doubts as to their willingness.

The Coalition for a Healthy Democracy offered three versions of an “Initiative Petition for a Law to Implement All-Party State Primaries,” which aim to replace the state’s party primaries with an open preliminary election for statewide, legislative, and federal congressional offices. The same group also filed an “Initiative Petition for a Law to Improve Access to Public Records,” which aims to unexempt the Legislature and Governor’s office from public records laws.

“More than half of our elections over the past decade have had only one candidate running, and we also rank last in the country in government transparency. This too often means our elected leaders are not answering to the communities they serve,” coalition spokesperson Danielle Allen said.

Two versions of “Initiative Petition for a Law to Protect Water & Nature” were filed by the Nature for Massachusetts Coalition and carry the support of Mass Audubon, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Kestrel Land Trust, the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, The Trustees, and the Trust for Public Land. The petitions aim to create a dedicated revenue stream “to conserve water, land, urban greenspace, outdoor recreation access, and wildlife” in the Bay State.

“By setting aside a portion of the funds generated from the existing sales tax on sporting goods, we can dedicate $100 million annually to fund conservation and meet ambitious climate goals without any increase in taxes. We’re responding to historic underfunding of land protection in Massachusetts. In the face of evaporating support from the federal government for conservation, we believe Massachusetts voters want to prioritize and protect our water quality, natural areas, forests, farmland, and parks,” the groups said in a joint statement.

Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, filed a petition that would close loopholes in the state’s Chapter 62F law — the law that resulted in billions being sent back to taxpayers just a few years ago — so that the taxpayer rebate provision might go into effect more often.

“Due to loopholes and exclusions, especially the carveout for new surtax revenues, the law has only been triggered twice in 40 years. Beacon Hill always finds ways around the law as it’s currently written. This fix closes the loopholes and restores the taxpayer protections voters overwhelmingly approved,” Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney said of the proposal.

An “Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Reducing the State Personal Income Tax Rate from 5% to 4%” came from James Stergios, the Pioneer Institute’s executive director, and according to Craney, it would result in an instant pay raise for every taxpayer.

“It’s really that simple. If you’re earning $50,000 a year, you just got a $500 raise,” Craney said.

Petitions were also filed for a proposed constitutional amendment to allow for recall elections of state officials, to repeal the state’s MBTA zoning law, to end the gasoline tax, and to eliminate legislative stipends, among others.