By: Liz Neisloss | GBH | Oct. 16, 2026
Massachusetts voters are now deciding the fate of Ballot Question 1, which asks if the public should have access to most records held by the Massachusetts Legislature and the governor’s office. Massachusetts is the only state to exempt the governor’s office, the legislature and the judiciary from public records laws.
That distinction earned the state this year’s “Black Hole Award” by the Society of Professional Journalists for “deficiencies in the state’s public records law, including broad exemptions, weak enforcement mechanisms and persistent delays that limit access to government information.”