Tuesday, November  2, 2021. For Boston voters, this question will be on the General Election ballot, where we’ll also be casting our final vote for Mayor and City Councilors.

Go to www.wheredoivoteMA.com to find your poll location. And YES! you can vote in Boston’s 2021 elections through mail-in ballot.

Here’s the link to the final charter amendment as passed by City Council and approved by the Mayor and Attorney General 

Compared to other cities, Boston’s budgeting process is pretty unique with how little power we give to our City Council. Most large cities already allow their Councilors to propose and vote on amendments to a Mayor’s budget. Of the 8 large cities with AAA bond ratings, Boston is the only one that doesn’t allow City Councils to amend the Mayor’s budget.

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a growing global practice in cities across the globe. In the US, PB first started in Chicago in 2010, and has now grown to over 100 cities and counties including Cambridge, Hartford, New York City and Seattle. So far, regular people have directly proposed and voted on how to spend close to $400 million of tax dollars in the US since then.  More democracy and community voice has made budgets more equitable and effective over time.

Thanks for asking, we most definitely do! We think our amendment is a no-brainer for people who support transparency, accountability and democracy in Boston. But large corporations are against us because they don’t like changes to “business as usual.” We’re a people powered campaign that needs volunteers to win. Please sign up now to join the campaign and help out how you can!

Question 1 Ballot Text
Boston’s City Charter
Boston’s Budgeting Website
Mayor Kim Janey’s Letter

Policy Memo: Boston’s Bond Rating And Question 1