Massachusetts is experiencing a record-breaking surge in ballot initiative activity for the 2026 election cycle, with 47 petitions filed and up to 12 potential questions headed for the November ballot. A newly formed special legislative committee will review 11 certified citizen initiatives covering tax reform, rent control, election changes, cannabis regulation, and government transparency. As one of the few states using an indirect initiative process, Massachusetts gives lawmakers the power to adopt, amend, or reject proposals before they reach voters.

The Massachusetts budget process is an annual cycle that allocates state funding through a series of steps involving the Governor, House, and Senate. Beginning with agency requests and the Governor’s budget proposal, the process moves through House and Senate Ways and Means budgets, floor debates, conference committee negotiations, and final approval before the July 1 fiscal year start.

Discover how MuniTrac helps Massachusetts town clerks automate meeting minutes, transcription, and public records management—saving time while improving accuracy and transparency.

Sean Cusick, a high school English and journalism teacher at Tantasqua Regional High School in Fiskdale, Massachusetts, uses InstaTrac’s MassInsider newsletter to help students understand how modern news and journalism actually work.

Instatrac is upgrading the way Massachusetts public affairs professionals track legislation and stay informed. With a redesigned website and the launch of MobileTrac, Instatrac now offers faster access to legislative tracking, municipal meeting intelligence, and political news across MassTrac, MuniTrac, and MassInsider.

Learn how the City of Everett uses MuniTrac to streamline City Council and School Committee meeting minutes, saving staff time while strengthening transparency and public access.

Breaking news: the media landscape has changed. Less breaking: MassInsider has changed with it. On January 5, 2026, InstaTrac rolled out a new and improved MassInsider newsletter, designed for the modern media moment.

InstaTrac CEO Michael Segal reflects on a successful 2025, highlighting four new AI features for MassTrac, including audio bill overviews, transcript synopses, Smart Search, and Smart Compare. He thanks the Massachusetts government community for their feedback and trust, crediting real user conversations for driving meaningful product improvements that help policy professionals work more efficiently.