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An Act improving campaign finance reporting by state ballot question committees boosts transparency around ballot question funding by requiring that those campaigns rise to the same level of disclosure provided by candidates for office. These reforms empower voters to make informed choices and guard against the rise of special interest-driven ballot questions. Massachusetts residents will be able to see more clearly who is funding the proposals they are asked to vote upon.

As ballot questions have proliferated, the 2024 election featured five questions on the ballot—the most in a decade. Leading up to the past six statewide elections, $340 million flowed to the ballot question campaigns, according to Common Cause Massachusetts, with 36 per cent of contributions falling in months where there was no requirement to report any financial data in a timely fashion under current law.

The details of the legislation are below.

Opens Up Ballot Question Funding to Public Scrutiny. Requires ballot question committees to disclose their financial information in reports at least once per month, fixing current gaps in transparency that can keep campaigns’ machinations secret for nearly a year. The reports, filed with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) and publicly posted online, show which individuals and entities are funding the campaign and how the money is being spent, along with larger “in-kind” contributions and any new liabilities. Currently, in an election year, ballot question committees are not required to file financial reports from January until September, an eight-month period when voters are left in the dark while they attempt to learn about the potential laws they will be asked to vote on. In the year prior to the election, campaigns currently only need to file an initial report and a year-end report. The new timeline calls for reports every month until September of the election year, when a biweekly deadline kicks in until Election Day.

Ensures Trustworthy Data. Requires data on donations and expenditures to come directly from the financial institution where the ballot question committee deposits its funds. The campaign committee is required to authorize their bank or other financial institution to send monthly financial reports directly to OCPF, the same system used by candidates for office.