August 25, 2025
BOSTON – The Coalition for Healthy Democracy announced its first slate of supporters for a ballot initiative to bring long-overdue transparency and accountability to Massachusetts government through public records reform.
The measure would end Massachusetts’ status as the least transparent state in the nation, finally requiring the legislature and governor’s office to operate under the same transparency standards as nearly every other state in the country. Currently, Massachusetts is the only state where the legislative, executive and judicial branches all claim full exemption from public records law, making it nearly impossible to see how decisions are made, where money flows or how our leaders are truly working for us.
The result, the coalition says, is a system that undermines trust in government and shields Beacon Hill from the scrutiny necessary for a healthy and productive democracy. Legislative leadership has already signaled opposition and taken steps in an attempt to obstruct the transparency campaign. The Coalition notes that this taxpayer-funded resistance only underscores the need for reform.
Supporters of the public records ballot campaign range from elected officials to seasoned organizers, research organizations, grassroots groups and more.
“Transparency is the foundation of trust, and this ballot campaign is about restoring such faith in government,” said Danielle Allen, chair of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy. “Our elected officials have the tools and resources to do amazing things — but too often, a system built on self-preservation prioritizes power over progress and politics over problem-solving. These early supporters reflect the momentum for reform across the Commonwealth.”
Supporters include:
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” said State Auditor Diana DiZoglio. “If Massachusetts is going to tackle our very real challenges – from affordability and housing to transportation – we need a government the public can trust. That starts with ending the culture of secrecy on Beacon Hill.”
“In a healthy democracy, people deserve the right to see and shape their government,” said John Griffin, managing partner for strategy at Partners in Democracy. “This includes visibility into how government operates and how elected representatives act in the people’s name. Under the Massachusetts Legislature’s current exemption to the public records law, Massachusetts undermines this core democratic principle. Partners In Democracy is proud to support the proposed ballot initiative to eliminate that exemption and bring true transparency to Beacon Hill. Doing so is a meaningful step toward building a more open, accountable and responsive democracy.”
“The Legislature’s last major update of the public records law was almost a decade ago, and it had a big omission: whether they should be subject to it,” said Jonathan Cohn, policy director at Progressive Massachusetts. “Massachusetts remains the only state in the U.S. where both the executive and legislative branch of state government claim full exemption from public records law. The same governing bodies that require cities and towns to adhere to strict Open Meeting Law rules exempt themselves from even a basic level of transparency. The difficulty in obtaining information from the Massachusetts Legislature not only makes our state an outlier but also stifles the democratic process. The most moneyed interests are those who benefit from closed, hierarchical systems because they will always be able to work their way behind closed doors — whereas the public and researchers are rarely so lucky. Openness is key to fostering social trust and ensuring basic accountability.”
“Article V of our state’s Declaration of Rights requires that the branches of government ‘at all times’ be accountable to the people,” said Mary Connaughton, director of government transparency and COO of the Pioneer Institute. “Restricting the public’s access to legislative records fundamentally undermines that basic right and is a threat to the long-term health of our democracy.”
The coalition will announce additional supporter slates in the months to come.
