Politics
Three Massachusetts ballot measures head into final stretch with narrow polling leads
A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found support and opposition nearly even on proposals involving primary elections, tax rebates and smaller-lot housing. Undecided voters could prove decisive, particularly on Question 7, where the poll counted only three more “yes” than “no” responses.
With two weeks remaining before Election Day, three Massachusetts ballot questions appear closely contested, according to a new poll of registered voters.
The Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey, conducted Oct. 14-18 among 500 registered voters, found narrow leads for the “yes” side on Questions 3, 5 and 7. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Question 3 would establish all-party primary elections. Forty-six percent of respondents said they planned to vote yes, compared with 41% who planned to vote no; 10% were undecided.
Question 5 would tighten the state’s tax revenue cap and rebate law. Forty percent supported the measure and 38% opposed it, while one in five remained undecided.
The closest result was on Question 7, a proposal to override local minimum-lot-size rules to allow single-family homes on more small parcels. Of the 500 people surveyed, 206 said they would vote yes and 203 said no — 41.2% and 40.6%, respectively. Sixteen percent were undecided.
The poll showed broader support for most of the other six questions, including proposals concerning public records, public defender unionization, Election Day voter registration and the state’s gun law. Question 6, which would create a nature conservation fund, drew 49% support and 39% opposition, with 11% undecided. The poll found strong opposition to Question 8, which would repeal the state’s recreational marijuana industry.
David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, said undecided voters on ballot questions tend to favor keeping existing rules in place. That tendency could benefit “no” campaigns as voters make their decisions, though the results remain uncertain given the close margins and number of undecided respondents.