Ballot Initiative on Rent Control Fails as Signatures Fall Short

Following the failure of his rent control ballot initiative, state Rep. Mike Connolly is turning his focus to a number of landlord-tenant bills pending before the Legislature.

Facing a shortfall of tens of thousands of signatures and with less than two weeks remaining, advocates for rent control have halted their campaign for a 2024 ballot initiative seeking to reintroduce local-option rent control in Massachusetts.

State Rep. Mike Connolly acknowledged Friday that the rent control initiative had gathered only 10,175 signatures over the past six weeks, a far cry from the 75,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.

"In light of the result we had not anticipated with our petition, I am increasingly confident that Massachusetts voters, given the chance, will choose to overturn the ban on rent control," stated the Cambridge Democrat in a release.

The rent control ballot initiative faced pushback from the real estate industry and from other housing advocates and progressive groups, who had varying opinions on the most effective policy for regulating rent increases.

"He pointed out Homes for All Massachusetts, a coalition of housing justice advocates, and stated that the organization's leadership "argued that rent control cannot be successful through the ballot process in 2024, and they publicly requested that we withdraw our petition."

"Despite expressing skepticism about the viability of rent control as a ballot question in 2024, Homes for All Massachusetts Director Carolyn Chou emphasized to The Boston Globe that her coalition remains committed to pursuing rent control initiatives, whether through legislative action or a ballot question in a future election."

"We are determined to achieve rent control within the next few years," Chou informed the Globe. "For us, that entails persevering with the legislative strategy throughout this session and, if necessary, the next session—and if we are unsuccessful in securing legislative approval this time, to resort to the ballot initiative as part of our strategy."

Opponents of rent control expressed relief and satisfaction at the conclusion of Connolly's ballot question campaign.

Expressing strong disapproval shared on social media platform X, the conservative group Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance harshly criticized the ballot question as a "disastrous proposal" that would have "only served to worsen the financial situation and living conditions of both property owners and renters."

Rent control initiatives statewide have also encountered significant resistance from real estate organizations such as MassLandlords, Inc., which filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston earlier this year over emails related to Mayor Michelle Wu's rent stabilization proposal.

However, as Connolly highlighted in his statement, numerous polls have demonstrated the strong support among Massachusetts voters for the introduction of a local option for rent control, given the current challenges of soaring rents and skyrocketing housing prices.

Given the current situation, the lawmaker indicated that he is now directing his attention to rent control bills and other landlord-tenant issues that are currently pending before the Massachusetts Legislature.

On Tuesday, the Legislature's Joint Committee on Housing will be deliberating on several housing petitions, including the Tenant Protection Act — a rent control bill that served as the inspiration for the 2024 ballot initiative — and two bills that would grant communities the authority to cap annual rent increases and require landlords to provide valid reasons for evictions or lease non-renewals. In support of the latter two bills, Homes for All Massachusetts has scheduled a press conference at the State House for 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Expressing his gratitude on X on Saturday, Connolly acknowledged the tireless efforts of the volunteers, elected officials, and staff members who contributed to the rent control ballot question campaign.

"Despite the challenges we faced due to limited resources, I am proud of the impact we were able to make," he emphasized. "The legislature must now fulfill its obligation and take decisive action to address this urgent need."