Massachusetts

==Government and politics==

[[File:Boston_-Massachusetts_State_House_(48718911666).jpg|thumb|The [[Massachusetts State House]], topped by its golden dome, faces [[Boston Common]] on [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]].]]

Massachusetts has a long political history; earlier political structures included the [[Mayflower Compact]] of 1620, the separate [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts Bay]] and [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]] colonies, and the combined colonial [[Province of Massachusetts]]. The [[Massachusetts Constitution]] was ratified in 1780 while the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] was in progress, four years after the [[Articles of Confederation]] was drafted, and eight years before the present [[United States Constitution]] was ratified on June 21, 1788. Drafted by [[John Adams]], the Massachusetts Constitution is the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last=Levy |first=Leonard |title=Seasoned Judgments: The American Constitution, Rights, and History |year=1995 |page=307 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7lKq0dfs54C&pg=PA307 |access-date=June 10, 2015|isbn=9781412833820 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kemp |first=Roger |title=Documents of American Democracy |year=2010 |page=59 |publisher=McFarland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA59|isbn=9780786456741 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Murrin |first=John |title=Liberty, Power, and Equality: A History |year=2011 |publisher=Cengage Learning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CADtJymgzk4C&pg=PT222|isbn=978-0495915874 }}</ref> It has been amended 121 times, most recently in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Constitution |url=https://malegislature.gov/Laws/Constitution |website=malegislature.gov |access-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>

Massachusetts politics since the second half of the 20th century have generally been dominated by the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], and the state has a reputation for being the most [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] state in the country.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hickey |first1=Walter |title=The Most Liberal States In America |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-liberal-states-2013-2#2-massachusetts--305-percent-liberal-9 |website=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=May 4, 2015}}</ref> In 1974, [[Elaine Noble]] became [[List of the first LGBT holders of political offices|the first]] openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature in US history.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gianoulis |first=Tina |title=Noble, Elaine |publisher=glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture |date=October 13, 2005 |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/noble_e.html |access-date=September 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030032157/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/noble_e.html |archive-date=October 30, 2007 }}</ref> The state's [[Massachusetts's 12th congressional district|12th congressional district]] elected the first openly gay member of the [[United States House of Representatives]], [[Gerry Studds]], in 1972<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cave |first1=Damien |title=Gerry Studds Dies at 69; First Openly Gay Congressman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/us/15studds.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 15, 2006 |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> and in 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to allow [[same-sex marriage]].<ref name=CNNmarriage/> In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to approve a law that provided for nearly universal healthcare.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/us/04cnd-mass.html|title=Massachusetts Set to Offer Universal Health Insurance|last=Belluck|first=Pam|date=April 4, 2006|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 28, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Mandatory"/> Massachusetts has a pro-[[sanctuary city]] law.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/politics/sanctuary-city-bans-states/index.html|title=Florida is about to ban sanctuary cities. At least 11 other states have, too|first=Catherine E. |last=Shoichet|publisher=CNN|date=May 9, 2019}}</ref>

In a 2020 study, Massachusetts was ranked as the 11th easiest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Government===

{{Main|Government of Massachusetts}}
{{See also|Commonwealth (U.S. state)}}
[[File:Maura Healey, official portrait, governor.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Maura Healey]] ([[Democratic Party (Massachusetts)|D]]), the 73rd [[Governor of Massachusetts]]]]
The [[Massachusetts government|Government of Massachusetts]] is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The [[governor of Massachusetts]] heads the executive branch, while legislative authority vests in a separate but coequal legislature. Meanwhile, judicial power is constitutionally guaranteed to the independent judicial branch.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Government Structure |url=https://budget.digital.mass.gov/bb/h1/fy10h1/prnt10/exec10/pbuddevstructure.htm |website=budget.digital.mass.gov |access-date=December 3, 2022}}</ref>

====Executive branch====
As chief executive, the governor is responsible for signing or vetoing legislation, filling judicial and agency appointments, granting pardons, preparing an annual budget, and commanding the [[Massachusetts National Guard]].<ref name=MassPol1>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1b.htm |title=Massachusetts Facts: Politics |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |access-date=June 1, 2010}}</ref> Massachusetts governors, unlike those of most other states, are addressed as His/Her Excellency.<ref name=MassPol1/> The governor is [[Maura Healey]] and the incumbent lieutenant governor is [[Kim Driscoll]]. The governor conducts the affairs of state alongside a separate [[Massachusetts Governor's Council|Governor's Council]] made up of the [[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts|lieutenant governor]] and eight separately elected councilors.<ref name=MassPol1/> The council is charged by the state constitution with reviewing and confirming gubernatorial appointments and pardons, approving disbursements out of the state treasury, and certifying elections, among other duties.<ref name=MassPol1 />

Aside from the governor and Governor's Council, the executive branch also includes four independently elected constitutional officers: a [[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth|secretary of the commonwealth]], an [[Massachusetts Attorney General|attorney general]], a [[Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts|state treasurer]], and a [[Massachusetts State Auditor|state auditor]]. The commonwealth's incumbent constitutional officers are respectively [[William F. Galvin]], [[Andrea Campbell]], [[Deb Goldberg]] and [[Diana DiZoglio]], all [[Massachusetts Democratic Party|Democrats]]. In accordance with state statute, the secretary of the commonwealth administers elections, regulates lobbyists and the securities industry, registers corporations, serves as register of deeds for the entire state, and preserves public records as keeper of the [[Seal of Massachusetts|state seal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/|title=Main Menu|publisher=Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> Meanwhile, the attorney general provides legal services to state agencies, combats fraud and corruption, investigates and prosecutes crimes, and enforces consumer protection, environment, labor, and civil rights laws as Massachusetts chief lawyer and law enforcement officer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mass.gov/orgs/office-of-attorney-general-maura-healey|title=Office of the Attorney General|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> At the same time, the state treasurer manages the state's cash flow, debt, and investments as chief financial officer, whereas the state auditor conducts audits, investigations, and studies as chief audit executive in order to promote government accountability and transparency and improve state agency financial management, legal compliance, and performance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.masstreasury.org/departments|title=Departments|publisher=Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mass.gov/orgs/office-of-the-state-auditor|title=Office of the State Auditor|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref>

====Legislative branch====
The [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] and [[Massachusetts Senate]] comprise the legislature of Massachusetts, known as the [[Massachusetts General Court]].<ref name=MassPol1/> The House consists of 160 members while the Senate has 40 members.<ref name=MassPol1 /> Leaders of the House and Senate are chosen by the members of those bodies; the leader of the House is known as the Speaker while the leader of the Senate is known as the President.<ref name=MassPol1/> Each branch consists of several committees.<ref name=MassPol1/> Members of both bodies are elected to two-year terms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of Legislators and Length of Terms in Years |url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/number-of-legislators-and-length-of-terms.aspx |publisher=[[National Conference of State Legislatures]] |access-date=May 4, 2015}}</ref>

====Judicial branch====
The [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]] (a chief justice and six associates) are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Governor's Council, as are all other judges in the state.<ref name=MassPol1 />

Federal court cases are heard in the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]], and appeals are heard by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]].<ref>{{cite web |location=US |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/file/document/us-federal-courts-circuit-map |title=Geographic Boundaries of United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts |publisher=United States Courts |format=PDF |access-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref>

====Federal representation====

The Congressional delegation from Massachusetts is entirely [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm |title=Members of the 111th Congress |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |access-date=October 18, 2009}}</ref> The [[United States Senate|Senators]] are [[Elizabeth Warren]] and [[Ed Markey]] while the [[United States House of Representatives|Representatives]] are [[Richard Neal]] ([[Massachusetts's 1st congressional district|1st]]), [[Jim McGovern (congressman)|Jim McGovern]] ([[Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district|2nd]]), [[Lori Trahan]] ([[Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district|3rd]]), [[Jake Auchincloss]] ([[Massachusetts's 4th congressional district|4th]]), [[Katherine Clark]] ([[Massachusetts's 5th congressional district|5th]]), [[Seth Moulton]] ([[Massachusetts's 6th congressional district|6th]]), [[Ayanna Pressley]] ([[Massachusetts's 7th congressional district|7th]]), [[Stephen Lynch (politician)|Stephen Lynch]] ([[Massachusetts's 8th congressional district|8th]]), and [[Bill Keating (politician)|Bill Keating]] ([[Massachusetts's 9th congressional district|9th]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Directory of Representatives |url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ma |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives]] |access-date=January 19, 2019}}</ref>

In U.S. presidential elections since 2012, Massachusetts has been allotted 11 votes in the [[United States Electoral College|electoral college]], out of a total of 538.<ref>{{cite web |series=Electoral College |title=Distribution of 2004 and 2008 Electoral Votes |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |location=US |access-date=June 2, 2010 |url=http://archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/allocation.html}}</ref> Like most states, Massachusetts's electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system.<ref>{{cite web |location=US |series=Electoral College |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |access-date=June 2, 2010 |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html}}</ref>

===Politics===
{{Main|Politics of Massachusetts|Political party strength in Massachusetts}}
{{See also|United States presidential elections in Massachusetts}}
[[File:Joe Kennedy III, Elizabeth Warren, Barney Frank.jpg|thumb|Boston Pride Parade, 2012. From left: Representative [[Joe Kennedy&nbsp;III]], Senator [[Elizabeth Warren]], and former representative [[Barney Frank]].|alt=Two older men and an older woman stand in a crowd with signs reading "Joe Kennedy for Congress".]]

Massachusetts has shifted from a previously [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-leaning state to one [[red states and blue states|largely dominated]] by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]; the [[United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1952|1952 victory]] of [[John F. Kennedy]] over incumbent Senator [[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.]] is seen as a watershed moment in this transformation. His younger brother [[Ted Kennedy|Edward M. Kennedy]] held that seat until his death from a brain tumor in 2009.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=310}} Since the 1950s, Massachusetts has gained a reputation as being a politically liberal state and is often used as an archetype of [[modern liberalism in the United States|modern liberalism]], hence the phrase "[[Massachusetts liberal]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-25-mass-liberal_x.htm |title=Does 'Massachusetts liberal' label still matter? |first1=Susan |last1=Page |first2=Jill |last2=Lawrence |work=[[USA Today]] |date=July 11, 2004 |access-date=October 17, 2009}}</ref>

Massachusetts is one of the most Democratic states in the country. Democratic core concentrations are everywhere, except for a handful of Republican leaning towns in the Central and Southern parts of the state. Until recently, Republicans were dominant in the Western and Northern suburbs of Boston, however both areas heavily swung Democratic in the Trump era. The state as a whole has not given its [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] votes to a Republican in a [[United States presidential election|presidential election]] since [[Ronald Reagan]] carried it in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]. Additionally, Massachusetts provided Reagan with his smallest margins of victory in both the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]<ref>{{cite web |title=1980 Presidential General Election Results—Massachusetts |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=25&year=1980 |publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]] |access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> and 1984 elections.<ref>{{cite web |title=1984 Presidential General Election Results—Massachusetts |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=25&year=1984 |publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]] |access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts had been the only state to vote for Democrat [[George McGovern]] in the [[1972 United States Presidential Election|1972 presidential election]]. In [[2020 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2020, Biden received 65.6% of the vote]], the best performance in over 50 years for a Democrat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin |url=https://www.270towin.com/states/Massachusetts |website=270toWin.com |access-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>

Democrats have an absolute grip on the Massachusetts congressional delegation; there are no Republicans elected to serve at the federal level. Both Senators and all nine Representatives are Democrats; only one Republican (former Senator [[Scott Brown (politician)|Scott Brown]]) has been elected to either house of Congress from Massachusetts since 1994. Massachusetts is the most populous state to be represented in the [[United States Congress]] entirely by a single party.<ref>{{cite web |last1=master |first1=Por |title=Capital of massachusetts – |url=https://sinproeste.org.br/capital-of-massachusetts/ |website=Sinproeste |date=October 12, 2022 |access-date=December 4, 2022 |language=pt-BR}}</ref>

As of the 2018 elections, the Democratic Party holds a super-majority over the Republican Party in [[Bicameralism|both chambers]] of the [[Massachusetts General Court]] (state legislature). Out of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives|state house]]'s 160 seats, Democrats hold 127 seats (79%) compared to the Republican Party's 32 seats (20%), an [[Susannah Whipps|independent sits in the remaining one]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Members of the House of Representatives |url=https://malegislature.gov/People/House |publisher=[[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] |access-date=January 18, 2019}}</ref> and 37 out of the 40 seats in the [[Massachusetts state senate|state senate]] (92.5%) belong to the Democratic Party compared to the Republican Party's three seats (7.5%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Members of the Senate |url=https://malegislature.gov/People/Senate |publisher=[[Massachusetts Senate]] |access-date=January 18, 2019}}</ref> Both houses of the legislature have had Democratic majorities since the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hudak |first1=John |title=Presidential pork : White House influence over the distribution of federal grants |date=2014 |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=9780815725206 |page=202 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/book/presidential-pork/ |access-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatright"
! colspan = 6 | Party registration as of October 2022<ref>{{cite web |title=Registration Statistics|publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |access-date=March 2, 2023 |url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/enrollment_count_20220827.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}
| [[Independent voter|Unenrolled]]
| align=center | 2,951,863
| align=center | 60.44%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 1,438,607
| align=center | 29.46%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 437,211
| align=center | 8.95%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
|[[List of political parties in the United States|Other]]
| align=center | 56,395
| align=center | 1.15%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 4,884,076
! align=center | 100.00%
|}
Despite the state's Democratic-leaning tendency, Massachusetts has generally elected Republicans as [[governor of Massachusetts|Governor]]: only two Democrats ([[Deval Patrick]] and [[Maura Healey]]) have served as governor since 1991, and among gubernatorial election results from 2002 to 2022, Republican nominees garnered 48.4% of the vote compared to 45.7% for Democratic nominees.<ref name="Leip, David">{{cite web|author=Leip, David|title=General Election Results—Massachusetts|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|access-date=November 18, 2016|publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]]}}</ref> These have been considered to be among the most moderate Republican leaders in the nation;<ref>{{cite news |last=Gordon |first=Meryl |title=Weld at Heart |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/politics/national/features/5574/ |newspaper=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=January 14, 2002 |access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Vennochi |first=Joan |title=Romney's liberal shadow |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/06/17/romneys_liberal_shadow/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=June 17, 2007 |access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> they have received higher net favorability ratings from the state's Democrats than Republicans.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mass. GOP Voters Like Trump More Than Their Republican Governors|url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/03/02/charlie-baker-trump-republicans-poll|access-date=December 5, 2020|website=wbur.org|date=March 2, 2020 }}</ref>

A number of contemporary national political issues have been influenced by events in Massachusetts, such as the decision in 2003 by the state Supreme Judicial Court [[Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|allowing same-sex marriage]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Same-sex couples ready to make history in Massachusetts |publisher=CNN |date=May 17, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2013 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/17/mass.gay.marriage/}}</ref> and [[Massachusetts 2006 Health Reform Statute|a 2006 bill]] which mandated health insurance for all Massachusetts residents.<ref name="Mandatory">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11689698 |title=Massachusetts Makes Health Insurance Mandatory |first1=Michel |last1=Martin |first2=Judy Ann |last2=Bigby |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=July 3, 2007 |access-date=October 18, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122024733/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11689698 |archive-date= Jan 22, 2010 }}</ref> In 2008, Massachusetts voters passed [[Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative|an initiative]] decriminalizing possession of small amounts of [[marijuana]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2008%20Return%20of%20Votes%20Complete.pdf |title=2008 Return of Votes Complete |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2008]] |date=December 17, 2008 |access-date=October 18, 2009 |archive-date=February 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208174407/http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2008%20Return%20of%20Votes%20Complete.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Voters in Massachusetts also approved a ballot measure in 2012 that legalized the medical use of marijuana.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/massachusetts-voters-approve-ballot-measure-legalize-medical-marijuana/EpDzgJGfBjnOAkoXpJwm1K/story.html |title=Massachusetts voters approve ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana |website=Boston Globe |access-date=April 13, 2013 |archive-date=April 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412115401/http://archive.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/massachusetts-voters-approve-ballot-measure-legalize-medical-marijuana/EpDzgJGfBjnOAkoXpJwm1K/story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the approval of a ballot question endorsing legalization in 2016, Massachusetts began issuing licenses for the regulated sale of recreational marijuana in June 2018. The licensed sale of recreational marijuana became legal on July 1, 2018; however, the lack of state-approved testing facilities prevented the sale of any product for several weeks.<ref>{{cite news | title=Massachusetts issues first marijuana license |publisher=CommonWealth |date=June 21, 2018 |access-date=August 30, 2018 |url=https://commonwealthmagazine.org/marijuana/massachusetts-issues-first-marijuana-license/}}</ref> However, in 2020, a ballot initiative to implement [[2020 Massachusetts Question 2|Ranked-Choice Voting]] failed, despite being championed by many [[Progressivism in the United States|progressives]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Simón |last1=Rios |title=Voters Say 'No' To Ranked-Choice Voting In Mass. |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/11/04/question-two-ranked-choice-voting-massachusetts-no |publisher=[[WBUR]] |access-date=December 27, 2020 |date=November 4, 2020}}</ref>

Massachusetts is one of the most [[Abortion-rights movements|pro-choice]] states in the Union. A 2014 [[Pew Research Center]] poll found that 74% of Massachusetts residents supported the right to an [[abortion]] in all/most cases, making Massachusetts the most pro-choice state in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/compare/views-about-abortion/by/state/|access-date=April 17, 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref>

In 2020, the state legislature overrode Governor [[Charlie Baker]]'s veto of the ROE Act, a controversial law that codified existing abortion laws in case the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] overturned [[Roe v. Wade]], dropped the age of parental consent for those seeking an abortion from 18 to 16, and legalized abortion after 24 weeks, if a fetus had fatal anomalies, or "to preserve the patient's physical or mental health."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Massachusetts Senate Overrides Veto, Passes Law Expanding Abortion Access|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/951259506/massachusetts-senate-overrides-veto-passes-law-expanding-abortion-access|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=NPR|date=December 29, 2020|last1=Romo|first1=Vanessa}}</ref>

The 2023 ''American Values Atlas'' by ''[[Public Religion Research Institute]]'' found that [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]] is supported near-universally by Massachusettsans.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in Massachusetts |url=https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-MA |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]]}}</ref>