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Section 1 - Decennial Division of Cities Into Wards and Precincts - Section 1. In the year 2001, and every tenth year...
Section 2 - Division of Cities and Wards Into Voting Precincts; Census; Effect Upon Formation of Congressional, Representative, Senatorial or Councillor Districts - Section 2. Each city shall be divided into convenient voting...
Section 4 - New Divisions of Cities Into Wards, When Effective; Congressional Districts - Section 4. All regular municipal elections and primaries held in...
Section 5 - Maps or Descriptions of New Divisions; Publication and Posting - Section 5. When a ward has been divided into new...
Section 6 - Division of Towns Into Voting Precincts - Section 6. In the year 2001 and every tenth year...
Section 7 - Changes in Voting Precincts of Towns - Section 7. Upon its own initiative a board of selectmen...
Section 7a - Dividing Precincts to Facilitate Voting; Applicable Laws - Section 7A. Any precinct in a town where town meeting...
Section 8 - Maps or Descriptions of New Precincts; Posting - Section 8. When a town has been divided into voting...
Section 9 - Discontinuance of Voting Precincts - Section 9. Any town of fewer than 6,200 inhabitants may...
Section 9a - Redivision Into Precincts or Districts; Elections Thereafter; Census - Section 9A. All regular municipal elections and primaries held in...
Section 10 - Changes in Wards; Notice to State Secretary - Section 10. When wards of a city have been changed...
Section 11 - Election Officers in Certain Cities - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 11a - Deputies - Section 11A. In any city subject to section eleven, the...
Section 11b - Filing for Appointment in Cities; Procedure; Eligibility; Examinations - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 12 - Election Officers in Towns; Procedure; Eligibility; Examinations - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 13 - Party Representation; Term of Office; Removal - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 14 - Vacancies; Filling - [ Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For...
Section 15 - Eligibility of Candidates - Section 15. No person shall, at a state, city or...
Section 16 - Deputies; Duties - Section 16. If a warden, clerk or inspector is absent...
Section 16a - Vacancies; Appointments to Fill - Section 16A. In any city or town which accepts this...
Section 17 - Ballot Clerks; Duties - Section 17. At state elections in cities and in towns,...
Section 20 - Oath of Office - Section 20. Every election officer before entering upon the performance...
Section 22 - Compensation of Election Officers - Section 22. Election officers shall receive such compensation as the...
Section 23 - Supervisors of Elections; Political Party Representation; Violations - Section 23. Upon the written petition of ten qualified voters...
Section 24 - Designation of Polling Places - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 25 - Marking Shelves and Guard Rails - Section 25. The aldermen or selectmen shall cause each polling...
Section 25a - Display of National Flag - Section 25A. In any city or town which accepts this...
Section 25b - Early Voting; Application for Early Voting Ballots; Early Voting Period, Sites and Lists; Counting of Early Voting Ballots - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For text...
Section 26 - State Ballot Boxes; Furnishing - Section 26. The state secretary shall, at the expense of...
Section 27 - Blank Forms and Envelopes for Returns; Injury, Tampering, or Destruction; Penalties - Section 27. The state secretary shall provide every city and...
Section 28 - Care, Custody and Repair of Ballot Boxes, Counting Apparatus, and Voting Machines - Section 28. The clerk of each city or town shall...
Section 29 - Replacement of Defective, Lost or Destroyed Ballot Boxes - Section 29. If a state ballot box becomes defective or...
Section 30 - Voting Place or Precinct Seals; Use and Custody - Section 30. The city or town clerk shall furnish to...
Section 30a - Custodians of Voting Machines; Duties; Eligibility - Section 30A. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of section thirteen, where...
Section 31 - Sending Ballot Boxes, Blank Forms, and Counting Apparatus to Polls; Installation of Voting Machines; Voters' Authority Certificates - Section 31. Every city and town clerk shall send to...
Section 32 - Examination and Approval of Voting Equipment - Section 32. The state secretary shall examine all types of...
Section 33 - Requirements and Use of Voting Machines, Electronic Voting Systems, and Ballots - Section 33. Voting machines shall furnish convenient, simple and satisfactory...
Section 33a - Additional Requirements for Voting Machines - Section 33A. Voting machines shall be provided with convenient spaces,...
Section 33b - Use of Voting Machines; Regulations; Mechanical Failures - Section 33B. During the period the polls are open for...
Section 33c - Instructions to Voter After Entering Voting Machine Booth; Re-Entry After Voting - Section 33C. If any voter, after he has enclosed himself...
Section 33d - Voting for Persons Not Listed on Ballot Labels of Machine - Section 33D. Every vote cast for any person whose name...
Section 33e - Electronic Voting Systems; Marking Implements; Stickers or Pasters on Ballots; Inspection; Instructions to Voters; Write-in Candidates - Section 33E. If there is an approved electronic voting system...
Section 33f - Computers and Counting Units; Central Tabulation Centers; Preparation; Testing - Section 33F. If the system employed makes use of a...
Section 33g - Lease or Purchase of Marking Units or Tabulating Units; Bonds From Manufacturers or Distributors - Section 33G. If any special marking units or special tabulating...
Section 33h - Election Officers for Tabulation Center; Tabulation of Votes - Section 33H. For any tabulation center designated under section thirty-three...
Section 33i - Examination of Electronic Poll Books; Compliance With Minimum Requirements; Approval for Use in Elections - [Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A, as...
Section 34 - Use of Voting Machines by Cities and Towns - Section 34. A city or town may, by vote of...
Section 35 - Public Exhibition of Voting Machines; Instruction to Voters; Delivery to Polls; Examination - Section 35. The body, board or official charged with the...
Section 35a - Challenged or Absent Voting Ballots Where Voting Machines Used; Questions Submitted to Voters - Section 35A. At polling places where voting machines are used...
Section 35b - Casting Challenged Votes Where Voting Machines Used; Counting Votes - Section 35B. If the right of a person offering to...
Section 36 - Number of Election Officers Present When Voting Machines Used - Section 36. In any election when voting machines are used...
Section 37 - Regulations for Use of Voting Machines, Ballot Boxes, Etc. - Section 37. The state secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the...
Section 39 - Seller's Bonds; Electronic Voting Systems, Voting Machines or Ballot Boxes - Section 39. When an electronic voting system, voting machines or...
Section 40 - Preparation and Furnishing - Section 40. All ballots for use in elections of state...
Section 41 - Names; Residences; Political Designation; Incumbents - Section 41. Ballots for the use of voters in a...
Section 41a - Governor and Lieutenant Governor Candidates; Grouping Party Nominees; Order - Section 41A. The surnames of candidates for the offices of...
Section 42 - Arrangement of Names; Blank Spaces; Name of City or Town, Etc. - Section 42. Except as provided in section forty-one A, under...
Section 42a - Questions Submitted to Voters; Designation - Section 42A. The state secretary and the city or town...
Section 42b - Public Policy Questions; Placement on Ballots - Section 42B. When a question to be submitted to the...
Section 42c - Deadline for Ballot Questions - Section 42C. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special...
Section 43 - Presidential Electors; Arrangement of Names - Section 43. The names of the candidates for presidential electors...
Section 43a - State Elections and Primaries; Officers to Be Elected; Manner and Order of Appearance on Ballots - Section 43A. At state elections and primaries at which any...
Section 44 - Official Ballots - Section 44. The official ballots shall, except as otherwise provided...
Section 45 - Number of Ballots Provided; Ballot Labels for Voting Machines - Section 45. One set of ballots, not less than one...
Section 46 - Packaging Ballots; Record - Section 46. Ballots, in convenient numbers, shall be arranged in...
Section 47 - Vacancies; Printing Ballots - Section 47. If a vacancy occurs or is declared in...
Section 48 - Cards of Instruction; Specimen Ballots; Copies of Information for Voters Material - Section 48. The state secretary in state elections, city clerks...
Section 48a - Voters' Bill of Rights; Postings; Preparation and Revision - Section 48A. The state secretary shall provide a voters' bill...
Section 49 - Lists of Candidates; Copies of Proposed Constitutional Amendments or Laws - Section 49. The state secretary, at least five days before...
Section 50 - City Elections; Posting Names of Candidates - Section 50. At least four days before a city election,...
Section 51 - Town Elections; Posting Names of Candidates - Section 51. In towns using official ballots the town clerk,...
Section 52 - Lists of Candidates; Questions Submitted to Voters; Availability for Publication; State and City Elections - Section 52. Before every state election, the state secretary shall...
Section 53 - Mailing Lists of Voters; Copies of Measures, Summaries, Ballot Question Titles, Statements and Arguments to Voters; Public Examination; Petition for Amendment - Section 53. The election commissioners in the city of Boston,...
Section 54 - Arguments on Measures; Preparation; Submission, Filing; Printing; Mailing - Section 54. The state secretary shall cause to be printed...
Section 58a - General Laws Submitted to Municipal Voters for Acceptance; Form of Question; Filing Date - Section 58A. Whenever any provision of the General Laws, submitted...
Section 59 - Packaging and Delivery to City or Town Clerks - Section 59. Ballots for state elections shall be enclosed in...
Section 60 - Duties of City and Town Clerks; Delivery to Polls; Receipts - Section 60. The city or town clerk, on the day...
Section 61 - Failure to Deliver; Substitute Ballots - Section 61. If the ballots provided for any polling place...
Section 62 - Biennial State Elections - Section 62. The biennial state election for the choice of...
Section 63 - Calling City and Town Elections; Notice - Section 63. Elections of state officers and city officers shall...
Section 64 - Notices or Warrants; Requisites; Time of Opening and Closing Polls - Section 64. Notices or warrants for state and city elections...
Section 65 - Activities at Polling Places; Regulations; Penalties - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 66 - State Ballot Boxes; Use and Custody - Section 66. The state ballot boxes shall be used for...
Section 67 - Voting Lists; Delivery and Use; Voting by Persons Not on List - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For text...
Section 67a - Additional State Ballot Boxes; Use in Towns - Section 67A. If the selectmen so vote, more than one...
Section 68 - Statements Made Before Public Declaration of Vote; Penalties - Section 68. No election officer shall, before the public declaration...
Section 69 - Persons Permitted Within Guard Rail - Section 69. No persons except the election officers, supervisors, custodians...
Section 70 - Number of Voters Permitted Within Guard Rail; Voters in Line at Closing Time - Section 70. No more than four voters, besides election officers...
Section 71 - Presiding Officers; Powers and Duties - Section 71. The presiding officer at each polling place shall...
Section 71a - Supervision of Election Officers in Cities and Towns - Section 71A. Election officers in cities and in towns shall...
Section 72 - Preservation of Order by Police - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For text...
Section 73 - Smoking or Intoxicating Liquors in Polling Places Prohibited; Penalties - Section 73. Any person who, during an election or town...
Section 74 - Detention of Offenders; Effect on Right to Vote - Section 74. If a person at an election refuses to...
Section 75 - Report of Violations; Prosecutions - Section 75. Every election officer shall forthwith report every violation...
Section 76 - Voting; Giving Name and Address Upon Request; Delivery of Ballot - Section 76. Each voter desiring to vote at a polling...
Section 76b - Failure to Present Voter Identification; Right to Challenge Vote - Section 76B. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a...
Section 76c - Provisional Ballot - Section 76C. (a) Whenever a person asserting a right to...
Section 77 - Marking Ballots - Section 77. The voter on receiving his ballot shall, without...
Section 78 - Voting for Presidential Electors, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor; Marking Ballots - Section 78. In order to vote for presidential electors, the...
Section 78a - List of Candidates for Electors Pledged to Presidential Candidates Other Than Those on Official Ballot; Written Acceptances; Filing; Certification; Form of Write-in or Sticker Vote - Section 78A. In any year in which presidential electors are...
Section 79 - Assistance in Marking Ballots - Section 79. A voter who states to the presiding officer...
Section 80 - Prohibited Markings; Use of Red Pencils or Red Ink by Election Officers - Section 80. Except as authorized by this chapter, no voter,...
Section 81 - Spoiled Ballots - Section 81. If a voter spoils a ballot, he may...
Section 82 - Folding Ballots; Time for Marking Ballots - Section 82. Before leaving the marking compartment the voter shall...
Section 83 - Deposit of Ballots, Voting List Check, Endorsement - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For text...
Section 84 - Removal of Ballots Before Close of Polls - Section 84. No person shall remove any ballot from the...
Section 85 - Challenge of Person's Right to Vote, Procedures - Section 85. If in any state, city or town election...
Section 85a - Challengers - Section 85A. The state committee of a political party may...
Section 86 - Absent or Physically Disabled Voters - Section 86. Any voter who during the hours that polling...
Section 87 - Preparation of Absent Voting Ballots, Envelopes, Instructions - [Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A, as...
Section 88 - Distribution of Absent Voting Ballots - Section 88. The state secretary shall retain for his own...
Section 89 - Applications; Seasonably Filed; Spoiled Ballots; Application by Family Member - [Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A, as...
Section 91 - Applications; Filing and Certification; Notation on Voting Lists; Posting - Section 91. When an application for an official absent voting...
Section 91a - Applications of Specially Qualified Voters - Section 91A. A specially qualified voter, as defined in section...
Section 91b - Delivery of Ballots - [Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A, as...
Section 91c - Absentee Ballot for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or Uocava, Voter; Entering Application for Ballot Into Voter Registration Information System; Transmission of Absentee Ballot - [Text of section effective until December 1, 2022. For text...
Section 92 - Method of Voting - [ Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A,...
Section 93 - Time for Mailing or Delivering Ballots - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. For text...
Section 94 - Examination of Ballots; Acceptance or Rejection - Section 94. The city or town clerk or a person...
Section 95 - Duties of Election Officers; Deposit of Absent Voting Ballots; Receipt and Counting of Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots - [First paragraph effective until June 22, 2022. For text effective...
Section 96 - Challenges - Section 96. All ballots transmitted under any provision of sections...
Section 97 - Immaterial Irregularities - Section 97. No ballot transmitted under any provision of sections...
Section 98 - Absent Voter Unable to Mark Ballot - Section 98. An absent voter who because of blindness or...
Section 99 - Late Ballots; Disposition - Section 99. All envelopes received by clerks of cities and...
Section 100 - Voting in Person; Death of Absent Voter - [Text of section effective until June 22, 2022. Repealed by...
Section 102 - Printed Information and Instructions as to Absent Voting - Section 102. The state secretary shall prepare for the use...
Section 103 - Jurisdiction of Courts - Section 103. The supreme judicial and superior courts shall have...
Section 103a - Sections Applicable to City and Town Elections, Primaries and Caucuses, and to Regional Vocational School District Elections - Section 103A. Sections eighty-six to one hundred and three Q,...
Section 103p - City or Town Elections; Preliminary Elections or Primaries - Section 103P. The provisions of this section shall apply to...
Section 103q - Informality; Liberal Construction - Section 103Q. No mere informality in the manner or carrying...
Section 104 - Use of State Blank Forms and Apparatus; Canvass of Votes - Section 104. The blank forms and apparatus provided by the...
Section 105 - Proceedings at Close of Polls; Counting Votes; Announcing and Recording Results - Section 105. Procedures at any precinct where an electronic voting...
Section 105a - Electronic Voting Methods; Proceedings at Close of Polls; Counting of Ballots; Announcement of Vote; Transportation to Tabulation Center - Section 105A. At any precinct using an approved electronic voting...
Section 106 - Defective Ballots - Section 106. If the use of a state ballot box...
Section 107 - Enclosing and Sealing Ballots and Voting Lists; Certification - Section 107. The presiding officer at every polling place at...
Section 108 - Copies of Voting Lists as Checked - Section 108. At any time after the election, upon written...
Section 109 - Ballots and Lists; Custody; Disposition - Section 109. City and town clerks shall retain in their...
Section 109a - Audit of Votes Following Presidential General Election - [Section impacted by 2020, 45, Secs. 1 and 1A, as...
Section 110 - Rejection of Records - Section 110. No record of votes cast or copy thereof...
Section 110a - Central Tabulation Facilities - Section 110A. The returns transmitted under section one hundred and...
Section 111 - Examination of Precinct Records; Errors; Certification - Section 111. The city or town clerk shall forthwith after...
Section 112 - Copies of Records of Votes to State Secretary - Section 112. The clerk of each city and town and...
Section 113 - Unsealed Copies Transmitted to State Secretary; Proceedings - Section 113. If any such copy transmitted to the state...
Section 114 - Endorsement or Memorandum of Receipt - Section 114. The state secretary shall cause the date of...
Section 115 - Copies of Records of Votes to Governor and Council; Examination; Determination of Results - Section 115. The state secretary shall lay before the governor...
Section 116 - Certification of Results; Summons; Certificates of Election - Section 116. The governor shall, in the presence of at...
Section 116a - Election of Person Not Listed on State Ballot; Financial Interest Statement - Section 116A. Any person whose name does not appear on...
Section 117 - Return to State Secretary; Laying Before Legislature; Filing - Section 117. After such certification, such copies shall be replaced...
Section 118 - Presidential Electors; Copies of Records of Votes; Proclamations; Certificate of Election - Section 118. The copies of the records of votes for...
Section 119 - Petition to Court for Declaration of Election; Notice; Hearing - Section 119. Any person who appears, by the proclamation of...
Section 120 - Procedure; Compulsion and Immunity of Witness - Section 120. The petitioner and the contestant may appear and...
Section 121 - Examination of Records; Certificates of Election; Notice to State Secretary - Section 121. The county commissioners to whom the copies of...
Section 122 - Board of Examiners; Duties; Certificates of Election; Notice to State Secretary - Section 122. In each county, except Suffolk and Nantucket, the...
Section 123 - Incomplete Records; New Copies of Returns - Section 123. If it shall appear to the governor and...
Section 129 - Copies of Returns of Votes; Transmittal to State Secretary - Section 129. City and town clerks shall, within fifteen days...
Section 130 - Number of Ballots Cast; Statement at Length - Section 130. The whole number of ballots cast at elections...
Section 131 - Violations; Effect on Records - Section 131. A violation by a public officer or election...
Section 132 - Number of Names Checked; Certification - Section 132. The city or town clerk shall, within fifteen...
Section 133 - Number of Registered Voters, etc.; Report - Section 133. The state secretary shall before February first of...
Section 134 - Contested Elections; Retention of Ballots; Recounts - Section 134. If a person who has received votes for...
Section 135 - Petition for Recount; Filing; Contents; Examination; Recounts; Notice; Amendment of Records - Section 135. A petition for a recount may be filed...
Section 135a - Recount Where Voting Machines Used; Period During Which Machines Locked and Sealed - Section 135A. For recounts of any election in an election...
Section 135b - Recount Where Electronic Voting System Used; Petition Specifying Recount by Hand - Section 135B. The recount of the votes cast in any...
Section 136 - Information Regarding Ballots Cast by Challenged Voters - Section 136. No officer recounting ballots shall, except as required...
Section 137 - Election Results in Cities; Declaration Before Recounts; Certificates of Election - Section 137. The city clerk shall not declare the result...
Section 138 - Presidential Electors - Section 138. If, upon examination of the copies of the...
Section 140 - Senators and Representatives in Congress; Vacancies - Section 140. (a) Upon failure to choose a senator or...
Section 141 - Representatives in General Court; Vacancies - Section 141. Upon a vacancy in the office of representative...
Section 142 - District Attorneys and County Officers - Section 142. Upon failure to choose a district attorney, clerk...
Section 143 - County Treasurers; Registers of Deeds - Section 143. Upon failure to choose a county treasurer or...
Section 143a - Register of Deeds; Vacancies - Section 143A. Upon a vacancy by removal or otherwise in...
Section 144 - County Commissioners - Section 144. Upon failure to choose a county commissioner, the...
Section 145 - Death After Election but Before Term - Section 145. If a person elected to any of the...
Section 146 - Notice to State Secretary - Section 146. The county commissioners in each county shall forthwith...
Section 147 - Elections to Fill Vacancies - Section 147. At elections held because of a failure to...
Section 148 - Meetings; Organization; Record of Proceedings - Section 148. The persons chosen as presidential electors shall meet...
Section 149 - Compensation - Section 149. Each elector shall receive from the commonwealth three...
Section 150 - State Officers - Section 150. At the biennial state election there shall be...
Section 151 - Presidential Electors - Section 151. At the biennial state election in each year...
Section 152 - Senators in Congress - Section 152. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 153 - Representatives in Congress - Section 153. At each biennial state election a representative in...
Section 154 - District Attorneys - Section 154. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 155 - Clerks of Courts - Section 155. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 156 - Registers of Probate - Section 156. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 157 - Registers of Deeds - Section 157. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 158 - County Commissioners - Section 158. There shall be chosen by the voters of...
Section 159 - Sheriffs - Section 159. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 160 - County Treasurers - Section 160. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred...
Section 162 - Regional District School Committees Members - Section 162. At the biennial state elections, members of regional...
Section 25c - Correctional Facility; Voting - [Text of section added by 2022, 92, Sec. 10 effective...