iStock illustration

A new UMass Amherst/WCVB poll shows Massachusetts voters continue to support reining in excessive minimum lot sizes as early voting begins.

The poll shows 30 percent of voters surveyed said they “would definitely vote yes” on Question 7, also known as the “starter homes ballot question,” and another 35 percent would “probably” do the same. That’s relatively unchanged from the last UMass/WCVB poll in August, which found 59 percent of voters surveyed expressed some type of support.

Only 10 percent of voters said they would “probably” vote the poll down and 11 percent would “definitely” join them. Only 10 percent of those surveyed reported being undecided and 4 percent said they didn’t understand the ballot question.

The measure has largely avoided attracting an organized opposition campaign although media outlets have frequently turned to the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which lobbies Beacon Hill on behalf of town and city governments, to represent opponents’ voices.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, her running mate Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and her Republican opponent Mike Minogue have all stated support for the measure. Attorney General Andrea Campbell has also come out in support.

This month’s UMass/WCVB poll showed the cost of living in Massachusetts was far and away the most important issue for voters, with 42 percent of respondents picking it as their first choice – the largest share of any first-choice priorities – and 20 percent picking it as their second choice, where it only lost to concern about taxes, which 32 percent of voters picked as their second-most-important concern. A majority of voters (55 percent) said they blamed President Donald Trump for rising prices of goods and services, with only 10 percent blaming Healey, 12 percent blaming large corporations, 7 percent blaming former President Joe Biden and just 4 percent blaming the state Legislature.

Just over 60 percent of voters told pollsters that they believe Healey either “definitely” or “somewhat” broke her promise to reduce the cost of living in Massachusetts, but nearly 60 percent said she “definitely” or “somewhat” kept her promise to increase the construction of affordable homes in the state, and a nearly identical number said she kept her promise to encourage residents to remain here.

Healey also out-polled Minogue on trust to handle the state’s housing problems, with 58 percent backing the incumbent governor and 32 percent backing her challenger. Another 10 percent named independent left-wing candidate Andrea James as their preferred choice.

Healey’s message has largely focused on zoning and permitting reforms, while Minogue has urged abandoning state-led reforms like the MBTA Communities Act, substituting incentive payments to towns and cities instead if they reduce permitting time for single-family homes.

Latest Poll Shows Continued Support for Starter Home Ballot Question

by James Sanna time to read: 2 min
0