The Endorsement Process 

• Questionnaire – Candidates seeking endorsements complete our questionnaire. Email electoral@bostondsa.org to request a copy of the questionnaire and submit responses back to us in either Google Docs or Microsoft Word format. Please do not submit in PDF format as we cannot easily redact the confidential questions about your field plans. Questionnaire answers will be shared with our membership unless otherwise noted.
• Candidate Forum – After you submit your questionnaire, our Electoral Working Group leadership will review your answers and reach out for clarification on any points if needed. Then, we will invite you to an endorsement interview via Zoom. This will be recorded and may be published. Any Boston DSA member will be able to ask you questions about your candidacy or specific policies.
  
• Electoral Working Group Vote – The Electoral Working Group will do a final review of the candidate, and have a debate and vote on whether to advance the candidate to the general membership.
• Endorsement Vote – We will hold a chapter-wide debate during a General Meeting, and then Boston DSA members will vote online. Candidates will need to reach a minimum of 60% of votes in favor in order to receive endorsement. 
• Endorsement Announcement – We will announce the endorsement on our website (like we do below) and through our chapter’s regular communication channels.

2026-2027 Endorsement Timeline

Our 2026-2027 candidate endorsement process is now open! Please email electoral@bostondsa.org  if you’d like to apply.

Ballot Question Positions

At the Boston DSA 2026 Chapter Convention, Boston DSA members voted to endorse eight positions on the Massachusetts Ballot Questions.

Vote YES on Question 1

This would make the legislature and governor’s office subject to public records law. This would make our state’s government more transparent, opening politicians’ dealings to public scrutiny. Massachusetts cities and towns and most state legislatures and governors are already subject to public records law.

Vote YES on Question 2

Public defenders who are employees of the state’s Committee for Public Counsel Services are currently barred from collective bargaining. A Yes vote on 2 would give these workers the right to form a union and negotiate better working conditions.

Vote NO on Question 3

Proponents of Question 3 say all party or ‘jungle’ primaries will make our state more democratic and boost third party candidates, however in states where this system is in effect (California, for example) we find that progressives and leftists are locked out of the electoral process. Most of the left’s recent success has been through running in the Democratic primary. Competing with centrists in an electorate including Republicans makes it much harder to win and the larger electorate makes it much more expensive for working class candidates to run. It’s no wonder why billionaires have been bankrolling Yes on 3.

Vote YES on Question 4

Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the only two states in New England who do not already have same day voter registration. Two of the left’s key voting blocs, young people and tenants who move frequently have the most to gain from voting Yes on 4 for same day voter registration.

Vote NO on Question 5

Question 5 would cap growth in state revenue year by year and force the state to return that money to taxpayers. This in effect is a tax cut for the rich that would undo the progress made by Fair Share and result in service cuts for working class communities.

No Stance on Question 6

Vote YES on Question 7

This would bring down the minimum lot size to build a home in many cities and towns. This means it would be easier to build higher density neighborhoods and more affordable homes in towns that have strict zoning laws meant to keep neighborhoods exclusive to the rich.

Vote NO on Question 8

Question 8 aims to roll back the legalization of marijuana. Recriminalizing marijuana would cost us billions in tax revenue, tens of thousands of jobs, and would bring us back to War on Drugs era policies that harm black, brown, and working class communities the most.

Vote YES on Question 9

A Yes vote on 9 would keep in place our existing gun control laws that makes our state one of the lowest in the nation in gun violence. The No campaign is bankrolled by the gun lobby who profit off of gun violence in working class communities.

2026 Endorsements

At the January General Meeting, Boston DSA members voted to endorse Evan MacKay for State Representative in the 25th Middlesex district.

Our Endorsed Socialists In Office (As Of 2026)

Somerville

Somerville’s City Council has four at-large councilors and seven ward councilors. Councilors are elected every two years, most recently in 2025.

Cambridge

Cambridge’s City Council has nine at-large councilors, elected by a proportional representation process. Councilors are elected every two years, most recently in 2025.

Medford

Medford’s City Council has seven at-large councilors. Councilors are elected every two years, most recently in 2025.