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Sample Scorecards for 2026: |
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Mass Scorecard 2025-2026
I'm a delegate to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention on September 13, 2025, and there's a BIG controversy there.
The Massachusetts Democratic Platform, one of our country's most progressive documents, has been weakened and watered down.
I will vote against it at the Convention, and I join the movement to re-invigorate the Party Platform.
We would like to re-make the "Mass Scorecard" that we made twenty years ago, in a similar fight then.
The Mass Scorecard compares how legislators voted, in comparison with issues in the 2005 Massachusetts Democratic Party platform.
We then score each legislator by how many votes agree with the platofrm, on the usual scale of an "A" for 90% or more, down to an "F" for 60% or lower. The idea is to hold legislators accountable to the party platform. A scorecard means that the party platform MATTERS.
I worked with the Progressive Democrats of Somerville to create the Mass Scorecard and to introduce it at a Convention just like the one on 9/13/2025. We asked the delegates to vote for or against having a scorecard, and our "Party Platform Amendment" passed by a 60%-40% margin.
We need another Mass Scorecard in 2025-2026, for the same reason: to maintain a strongly progressive platform, so that we can hold legislators accountable to our progressive values.
The Platform Committee this year weakened the party platform because they believe that's the way to attract voters. I disagree. I think the way to attract voters is to have strong and clear progressive values, and to ask legislators to vote based on those values. I served on the Platform Committee twenty years ago, and many centrists made the same argument then -- but the progressives won, and we passed a strong and clear progressive platform. This year, the centrists dominated the Platform Committee, and offer us a centrist platform with watered-down centrist values.
Here's what the Massachusetts Democratic Party Charter says about "Adherence to Platform by Democratic Officials" (Article 6, section V, page 20, from Sept. 27, 2023)
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The most recent Democratic platform and/or agenda is the official position of the Democratic Party. Every Democratic committee member, every Democratic nominee, and every official elected as the Democratic nominee shall adhere to the national, state, and any local platform, in that order of priority, in all official statements and actions. Failure to do so shall not result in any removal or loss of rights within the Party, but may be publicized by resolutions or other appropriate action of any Party convention, conference, committee, or caucus.
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I read that statement from the podium at the 2003 Convention (the Charter said the same then!) in support of the Mass Scorecard. I was the last speaker; then the delegates voted, in our favor. Let's do that again!
Our party platform is a "vision statement" of what we want Massachusetts to look like. It's also a guide to legislators for how to vote on issues that matter to their constituents. We want our legislature to pass laws that move towards our "vision statement."
We can hold our legislators accountable to our vision for Massachusetts with a scorecard. We'll look at votes during 2025, and compare them to the "strong" version of the platform, and present the results at next year's convention. Join us!
Sincerely,
Jesse Gordon, delegate to the 2025 Massachusetts Democratic Convention,
State Committeeman for Norfolk-Bristol-Plymouth district,
Co-chair of the Randolph Democratic Town Committee
and elected as a "progressive Democrat" to the Randolph Town Council
Text (617) 320-6989 email jesse@jessegordon.com
Votes in use on the 2025-2026 Mass Scorecard
Democratic Party Platform sections indicated in ALL CAPS; platform recommends voting YES unless "NO" is indicated.
The date indicates passage vote in House chamber, and the final vote tally (Yes-No-Abstain/Absent).
An abstention or absence scores the same as opposing the Party platform.
- EDUCATION: Oct. 29, 2025:Should Education Dept. & unions create literacy curricula?
(H.4672 Rollcall 101 passed 132-22-6)
- ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: April 16, 2025:Allocate $828 million from the ‘Millionaire’s Tax’ to transportation projects and MBTA?
(H.4005 Rollcall 29 passed 140-14-6 plus Senate Rollcall 52 equivalent TBD)
- RACIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL RIGHTS: Nov 3, 2005:Should transgender care be protected from disclosure?
(S.2538 Rollcall 72 passed 132-24-4 plus Senate Rollcall 56 equivalent TBD)
- ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY: Feb. 25, 2025:Allow the State Auditor to Audit the Massachusetts House?
(H.2024 Rollcall 21 failed 24-127-7)
- ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY: Feb. 25, 2025:Should Roll Call Votes be recorded in Lame Duck Session?
(H.2026 Rollcall 13/14/20/22, all failed 23-128-7)
- HEALTHCARE AND HUMAN SERVICES: June 4, 2025:Should the cannabis industry expand responsibly?
(H.4187 Rollcall 55 passed 153-0-6 plus Senate Rollcall 116 equivalent TBD)
- HOUSING: Feb. 6, 2025:Allocate $425 million for the state’s family shelter system?
(H.57 Rollcall 11 passed 126-26-8 plus Senate S.17 equivalent TBD)
- IMMIGRATION: April 29, 2025:Should local police authorities detain people for ICE?
(H.4000 Rollcall 36 failed House 25-131-2): Platform recommends voting NO.
Sponsorships in use on the 2025-2026 Mass Scorecard
Following are bills which have not yet come to a vote, where legislators are scored on whether or not they co-sponsored the bill.
The Democratic Party Platform recommends SPONSORSHIP but a legislator's score is not reduced for lack of sponsorship unless otherwise indicated.
For sponsorships, the date indicates when the bill introduced.
- HEALTHCARE AND HUMAN SERVICES: Feb. 27, 2025:Single-payer health care financing system
(H.1405 52 co-sponsors). This bill counts as a negative score for legislators who choose not to sponsor it.
- HEALTHCARE AND HUMAN SERVICES: Feb. 27, 2025: End of life option including request for medical aid in dying medication
(H.2505 63 co-sponsors)
- CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: Feb. 27, 2025: Expand access to family, friend, and neighbor-provided childcare
(H.542 26 cosponsors)
- CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE : Feb. 27, 2025: Funds for improving and conserving natural and working lands
(H.901 53 co-sponsors)
- LABOR AND WORKFORCE: Feb. 27, 2025: Maximizing access to the collective and individual protections afforded by federal and state labor laws
(H.2086 43 cosponsors)
- EDUCATION: Feb. 27, 2025: Fix the chapter 70 inflation adjustment to increase state funding of schools
(H.678 33 co-sponsors)
- PUBLIC SAFETY: Feb. 27, 2025: Penalize as harassment if approaching police within 25 feet
(H.2057 HALO Act, 16 co-sponsors). Sponsoring this bill scores in the negative (but lack of sponsorship has no score).
- ANTI-NOMINEE SUPPORT: Party Charter Article 2 Section 5 prohibits supporting opponents of the Democratic Party in general elections;
we look at FEC records and report whether the legislator has donated to Democrats (positive score), Republicans (negative score), or none (negative score).
(FEC.gov search by donor name and town
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