Today, the Massachusetts Forward Party formally announced its support for Ballot Question 1, which would expand public records law to cover the Legislature and governor’s office.
Massachusetts is one of only two states where both the governor’s office and Legislature claim a blanket exemption from public records law. Massachusetts must do better. Our highest offices should be held to the same standards of transparency as state agencies and municipal governments across the Commonwealth. It’s just common sense.
In a state where one party has long dominated Beacon Hill, and which recently earned the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2026 Black Hole Award for government secrecy, it’s time to bring lawmakers’ decision-making into the light. The public should not have to wait until votes on the most consequential issues have been decided to gain insight into how those decisions were made.
Massachusetts voters have already made clear that they demand greater accountability: in 2024, 72% of voters supported giving the state auditor authority to audit the Legislature. The Massachusetts Forward Party supports Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s efforts to carry out that mandate, as well as this year’s push to expand public records access. We were honored to endorse her reelection campaign, and we commend her willingness to challenge entrenched interests and fight for greater accountability to taxpayers.
Opponents warn that the measure could hinder policymaking and compromise constituent privacy. Those concerns deserve scrutiny — but so does a broken system that exempts the people making our laws from the transparency requirements that apply to other public institutions. The proposal would make most records held by the Legislature and governor’s office subject to public records law, while providing specific exemptions for policy-development documents and certain constituent communications. We believe this strikes the right balance of transparency with privacy.
Nor should Massachusetts residents have to rely solely on voluntary promises of transparency from elected officials. Governor Healey has said her office intends to follow public records law voluntarily, but the office remains legally exempt and selectively determines when it wants to honor information requests. Good governance should not depend on the goodwill of the people being asked to disclose their own records.
The public deserves a government that answers to its people — not one that polices its own transparency. The Massachusetts Forward Party enthusiastically endorses Question 1 in the name of transparency, accountability, and good governance.