Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether most records held by the Legislature and the governor's office should fall under the state's public-records law, an issue examined in WBUR's September 30 coverage of Question 1.
The official voter guide describes a yes vote as extending the law to those records. A no vote would leave the law unchanged.
The proposal has specific exemptions. Documents concerning the development of public policy would remain exempt, as would communications reasonably related to a constituent seeking a legislator's help obtaining government benefits or services or dealing with an agency.
Those exclusions affect what the measure would make available. Extending the law does not mean that every private exchange with a lawmaker or every discussion about a policy proposal becomes a public document.
WBUR reported that State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is leading the effort. It also distinguished this year's question from the 2024 ballot measure concerning the auditor's authority to audit the Legislature.
The official guide includes a state fiscal assessment finding no discernible material effect on state or municipal finances. Campaign arguments printed beside that assessment are the positions of their authors, rather than findings endorsed by the state.
For agencies already covered by the law, the secretary's Public Records Division directs requests to the records-access officer of the government body holding the material. The division handles appeals; it is not a central warehouse of all government records.
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