Staff Report
Citizens across Massachusetts, including Winthrop, are collecting signatures in all 351 communities to place four ballot questions on the 2026 ballot. The initiatives call for repealing the MBTA Communities Act (3A), restoring local zoning control, preventing overdevelopment, and reforming the zoning process.
Organizers describe the campaign as a true grassroots effort, led by neighbors working together to ensure that residents, not Beacon Hill or outside developers, decide the future of their communities. With enough signatures, voters statewide will have the final say in 2026.
“We are encouraging folks to vote yes on all four, but it will be on the state ballot, it won’t be on the ballot until 2026,” said Precinct 5 resident Diane Sands, who is helping lead the signature collections for the ballot questions in Winthrop, at the most recent town council meeting.