As Americans get ready to turn the clocks back next month, a Massachusetts commission is exploring whether the state should spring ahead one hour for good.

Winter darkness comes early in New England, which sits along the edge of the Eastern Time Zone, and preserving more late-afternoon sunshine could yield some health and economic benefits, according to a draft report from a Massachusetts commission studying the issue.

Though the odds of a change appear long, Massachusetts “could make a data-driven case for moving to the Atlantic Time Zone year-round,” the 11-member commission said in a draft report issued last month. Another draft including member feedback will be put to a final commission vote on Nov. 1, and if that vote is positive, the report will be sent to lawmakers to inform potential bills, said Eileen Donoghue, a Democratic state senator who chairs the commission.

Federal law only allows states to opt out of daylight-saving time, not adopt it all year. But Massachusetts could potentially get there by shifting ahead one hour into Atlantic Time, which includes eastern Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico.

There’s a major caveat for the effort: the commission’s report recommends against Massachusetts making a unilateral move without most of New England. Commission member Paul Frost, a Republican state representative, believes New York would also have to change zones. Otherwise he fears disruptions to financial markets, television-broadcast schedules and travelers.