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Guns, Taxes, and Pot! The Other Six Questions Are Less Exciting, But You Vote on All Nine

Tuesday's ballot could repeal a gun law, rewrite the state tax rules and end legal pot sales. That is just three of nine questions. Here is every question, every link and every audio summary in one place.

GloucesterRockportEssexManchester-by-the-Sea

By Kerry Jane · Sunday, November 1How we work

Trust Check: Checked against public records

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Each audio summary runs about 40 seconds and is read by Kerry Jane. It is not the full article.

Question In one line Listen Read
Question 1 Open most records of the Legislature and the Governor's office to public records requests Play Full explainer
Question 2 Let public defenders and other state defense agency staff form a union Play Full explainer
Question 3 One all-party primary, with the top two going to November Play Full explainer
Question 4 Register to vote at the polls on Election Day Play Full explainer
TAXES, Question 5 Change the state tax cap and how often refunds are paid Play Full explainer
Question 6 Create the Nature for All Fund for land, water and parks Play Full explainer
Question 7 Allow single family homes on lots of 5,000 square feet or more Play Full explainer
POT, Question 8 End licensed recreational marijuana sales in 2028 Play Full explainer
GUNS, Question 9 Keep or repeal the 2024 firearms law Play Full explainer

Want more audio? Hear The Daily Current every morning or the Cape Ann Current Podcast. The full guide, with your town's polling places and the Fifth Essex District House race, is at Election 2026.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, every voter in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea sees the same nine questions on the ballot. Three of them hit hard and fast: a gun law, a tax rule and legal marijuana. We start there. Then we cover the other six.

The Cape Ann Current takes no position on any question. Everything below comes from public records and government data. Figures were last checked on Oct. 26, 2026, so campaign money and polls will keep changing. Polls are snapshots, not results.

How to read the numbers

You will see polls, dollar amounts and percentages below. Here is what they mean.

  • Polls are snapshots. A poll asks a few hundred people, not everyone. Every poll has a margin of error, usually about 4 points either way. A 49 to 39 lead is real. A 41 to 40 lead is a tie. Polls also differ because of who they ask (registered voters or likely voters), when they ask and how they word the question. Voters who are undecided can swing a close one.
  • "Raised," "spent" and "in kind." Raised is money a campaign took in. Spent is money it paid out. In kind means goods or services given instead of cash, like staff time or printing, and we list it separately. All of it comes from the state campaign finance office (OCPF). Massachusetts has no limit on gifts to ballot question committees. Money shows who is organized. It does not tell you who will win.
  • The 30 percent rule. For a law that citizens put on the ballot, Yes needs more than half of the votes on that question. Yes votes must also equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast in the election. Here is an example, not a forecast. About 3.5 million people voted in 2024 (3,512,930). At that turnout, 30 percent is about 1.05 million Yes votes.
  • Our estimates. When a number says "our estimate," we did the math ourselves from state data. Town turnout is one example. These can differ a little from official figures.
  • Dates matter. Money and poll numbers were checked on Oct. 26, 2026 and can change by Election Day.

The big three

GUNS: Question 9, the 2024 firearms law

The big idea. Question 9 is not a new law. The Legislature passed it in 2024. Voters now decide if it stays.

  • Yes keeps the law.
  • No repeals it. But No must win a majority and also equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast. If No wins but misses 30 percent, the law stays.

What the law covers. It sets rules for untraceable "ghost guns," serial numbers and a state gun registry. It sets a state definition of assault-style firearms. It widens who can ask a court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order, a court order that takes guns from a person who may harm self or others. It limits guns in government buildings and at polling places. It also creates a public data dashboard.

The money (state campaign finance office, as of Oct. 26). The Yes side reported $790,974 raised. The No side reported $593,468.

What the 30 percent rule means here. Even if more people vote No than Yes, the law stays unless No also gets to 30 percent of all ballots. Using the 2024 turnout example above, that is about 1.05 million No votes.

The polls. Every poll we found shows more voters choosing to keep the law. UMass Amherst and WCVB: 70 percent keep, 21 percent repeal. Suffolk and the Boston Globe: 57 percent keep, 31 percent repeal.

On Cape Ann. The four local police departments hold 4,225 active licenses to carry, the permit needed to own most guns in Massachusetts. That is about 0.75 percent of the state total, or less than 1 in 100 licenses. Gloucester holds 2,764 of them. The local police chief is the licensing authority in each town.

Courts. In the three rulings we found that concern this law, the courts left the challenged parts in place. One case, Hanlon v. Campbell, is still pending.

TAXES: Question 5, the state tax cap

What this is not. It is not an income tax cut. A separate plan to cut the income tax rate from 5 percent to 4 percent was kept off the ballot by the Supreme Judicial Court on June 18, 2026.

The big idea. A 1986 state law limits how much tax money the state can collect each year. If the state collects more than the limit, the extra goes back to taxpayers. Question 5 would change how that limit is figured.

  • Yes changes the limit to last year's real collections, plus average wage growth. Money over the limit is refunded. It would start July 1, 2027.
  • No keeps the current law.

What everyone agrees on. Supporters, opponents and the Tufts University policy center, which takes no side, all say a Yes vote would mean refunds more often. They disagree on what that means for the state budget, aid to towns and household money.

The numbers. Refunds have happened twice in 40 years, after fiscal 1987 and fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2026 the state collected $43.1 billion. That was $5.2 billion under the limit.

What that means. Think of the limit as a ceiling. The state stayed $5.2 billion below it, so no refund was triggered. A Yes vote would lower the ceiling to track what the state really collects, so a refund would be easier to trigger.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes committee reported $577,158 raised. The four No committees together reported $720,822.

The polls. The two October polls disagree. UMass Amherst and WCVB: 58 percent Yes, 20 percent No. Suffolk and the Boston Globe: 40 percent Yes, 38 percent No.

On Cape Ann. Question 5 does not touch property taxes or Proposition 2½. The link to local budgets is state aid, which is money the state sends to towns. The percents below are the share of each town's revenue that comes from the state. In fiscal 2025, state aid was 10.2 percent of Gloucester's revenue, 7.3 percent of Rockport's, 1.4 percent of Essex's and 0.7 percent of Manchester-by-the-Sea's. Final fiscal 2027 aid is already set, so Question 5 would not change it. The Healey budget office says later years could see less money for local aid. Supporters say services will not be cut.

POT: Question 8, ending recreational marijuana sales

The big idea. In 2016, voters allowed licensed recreational marijuana stores. Question 8 asks whether to end them.

  • Yes ends licensed recreational stores and the taxes on their sales on Jan. 1, 2028. Medical marijuana stays. Adults could keep up to 1 ounce with no penalty.
  • No leaves today's laws in place.

The size of it. The state lists 408 active recreational retailer licenses. Recreational sales were more than $1.65 billion in 2025. The voter booklet puts yearly taxes on those sales near $330 million for the state and towns combined.

What that means. The $330 million is tax money that would stop coming in if stores close. It is about 20 cents on every dollar of sales.

One open question. Sources disagree on whether adults could still grow plants at home. The law text does not say.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes committee reported $3,781,835 raised. The four No committees together reported about $2.96 million.

The polls. All five 2026 polls we found show more voters opposed than in favor. The share opposed runs from 55 to 71 percent. In October, UMass Amherst and WCVB found 61 percent No and 31 percent Yes. Suffolk and the Boston Globe found 71 percent No and 21 percent Yes.

On Cape Ann. Gloucester has three active recreational retailer licenses. Essex has one. We found none in Rockport or Manchester-by-the-Sea. Gloucester and Essex have adopted the 3 percent local marijuana tax. In 2016, all four Cape Ann towns voted Yes on allowing sales.

The other six

Question 1: public records for the Legislature and the Governor

The big idea. Today the Legislature and the Governor's office are outside the state Public Records Law. Question 1 would put most of their records under it. There are exceptions, such as papers used to develop policy and some requests for help from constituents.

  • Yes makes that change.
  • No changes nothing.

Why it matters. In 2024, voters approved a law saying the State Auditor may audit the Legislature. That dispute is in court. The House and Senate have also passed their own narrower records bills, and a small group from both chambers is working on one final version.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes committee reported $331,690 raised. No committee against is registered.

The polls. UMass Amherst and WCVB found 84 percent support in October. That number counts everyone leaning Yes, including 55 percent who said they would definitely vote Yes. The poll did not report how many oppose.

On Cape Ann. If it passes, residents could request records from their own state representative and senator, within the law's exceptions.

Question 2: a union for public defenders

The big idea. Question 2 is about the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or CPCS, the state agency that provides lawyers to people charged with crimes who cannot afford one. Today its employees cannot form a union and bargain with the state.

  • Yes lets CPCS employees form a union and bargain over pay and working conditions, if they choose to.
  • No keeps the law as it is.

What it does not do. A Yes vote does not create a union on its own. Employees would still have to choose to organize. After a contract is reached, CPCS would have to ask the Governor for the money. Private lawyers who take court appointed cases, known as bar advocates, would not be covered. The state budget office says the cost is hard to project.

The money. Unions back Question 2. The Office of Campaign and Political Finance, or OCPF, shows $1,083,060 raised as of Oct. 26, and no committee is registered against it.

The polls. A UMass Amherst and WCVB poll taken Oct. 5 to 12 found 53 percent for Yes, 19 percent for No, 14 percent undecided and 14 percent who did not understand the question (800 voters, margin of error 4.2 points). In August, the same poll found 45 percent Yes and 24 percent No.

On Cape Ann. This is a statewide question about state employees, so our explainer found no town specific effect.

Question 3: one all-party primary

The big idea. Today Democrats and Republicans hold separate primaries in September. Question 3 would replace them, for state and federal offices, with one primary on one ballot. The top two finishers would go to November, no matter their party.

  • Yes makes that change, starting Jan. 1, 2028. The presidential race and city and town races would not change.
  • No keeps the party primaries.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes campaign reported $7,706,458 raised. The No campaign reported $197,715.

The polls. Yes led in all five recent polls we found. Suffolk and the Boston Globe: 46.8 percent Yes, 41.1 percent No. UMass Amherst and WCVB: 49 percent Yes, 39 percent No.

On Cape Ann. "Not enrolled" (also called unenrolled) means registered to vote without joining a party. Some people call that independent. About two out of three voters here are not enrolled in a party. In February 2025 that was 68.3 percent in Gloucester, 67.0 percent in Rockport, 68.6 percent in Essex and 65.5 percent in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Question 4: registering to vote on Election Day

The big idea. Today you must register at least 10 days before an election. For this election, that deadline was Oct. 24. Question 4 would let eligible people also register, or update their address, at their polling place on Election Day.

  • Yes makes that change, starting Jan. 1, 2028. You would show proof of residence and sign an oath.
  • No keeps the 10 day deadline.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The main Yes committee reported $168,052 raised. A second Yes group reported $3,025 plus $152,981 in kind help. No committee against is registered.

The polls. UMass Amherst and WCVB found 67 percent Yes and 26 percent No in October.

On Cape Ann. The four towns had 38,026 registered voters in October 2024. In that election about 77 percent of them voted for president, our estimate.

Question 6: the Nature for All Fund

The big idea. Question 6 would create a state fund for land, water, parks and trails. It would get part of the sales tax the state already collects on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses. It is not a new tax.

  • Yes creates the fund. Half the covered tax would go in starting July 1, 2027, and all of it starting July 1, 2028.
  • No does not create it.

The catch. Every part of the law is "subject to appropriation," so the Legislature still votes on how much is spent. The state budget office says the law would move tens of millions of dollars out of the regular budget.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes committee reported $3,732,847 raised. No committee against is registered.

The polls. UMass Amherst and WCVB: 70 percent Yes, 19 percent No. Suffolk and the Boston Globe: 49 percent Yes, 39 percent No.

On Cape Ann. These percents are the share of each town's land that is kept from development forever. Permanently protected land makes up 33.8 percent of Gloucester, 32.7 percent of Essex, 27.8 percent of Rockport and 22.1 percent of Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Question 7: homes on 5,000 square foot lots

The big idea. Each town now sets its own minimum lot size. Question 7 would require every city and town except Boston to allow one single family home on a lot of at least 5,000 square feet. The lot also needs 50 feet of frontage and public sewer and water.

  • Yes makes that change. Towns could still set reasonable rules on height, setbacks and short term rentals.
  • No keeps local zoning as it is.

The money (as of Oct. 26). The Yes committees reported $1,724,140 raised. No committee against is registered.

The polls. The polls disagree. Suffolk and the Boston Globe: 41.2 percent support, 40.6 percent oppose. UMass Amherst and WCVB: 65 percent support, 21 percent oppose.

On Cape Ann. To picture the sizes: an acre is 43,560 square feet. A 5,000 square foot lot is about one ninth of an acre, so you could fit 8 or 9 on an acre. A 40,000 square foot lot is nearly a full acre. Gloucester already has a 5,000 square foot district. Essex's General Use District asks for 40,000 square feet. Manchester-by-the-Sea's smallest residence lot is 6,000.

Before you vote

The Cape Ann Current publishes public records and government data for Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. We take no position on candidates or ballot questions. Facts can change in the days before an election, so check the sources and the official voter guide before relying on any single figure. How we work · Election 2026 guide

Sources

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