Massachusetts Law About Elections and Voting
See Also:
Best Bet
Elections Division, Mass. Secretary of State. Everything you need to know about the elections process, including how to register to vote, how to vote by absentee ballot, how to run for office, and much more. Provides text of ballot questions.
Massachusetts Laws
- St.2010, c.229 National Popular Vote Bill. If enough states ratify the agreement, changes the way presidential electors are selected.
- St.2009, c.92 Allows Governor to appoint an Interim Senator.
- MGL c.10, s.42, State Election Campaign Fund
- MGL c. 50, Elections, General Provisions
- MGL c. 51, Voters and Registration
- MGL c. 52, Political Committees
- MGL c. 53, Nominations, Primaries, Initiatives
- MGL c. 54, Wards, Voting Districts and Voting
- MGL c. 55, Campaign Finance and Disclosure
Massachusetts Regulations
- 950 CMR 48 Ballot Question Petitions
- 950 CMR 49 Confidential Voter Registration
- 950 CMR 50 Voting Equipment
- 950 CMR 51 Polling Place Accessibility
- 950 CMR 52 Voting and Counting Procedures For Paper Ballots
- 950 CMR 53 Voting and Counting Procedures for Voting Machines
- 950 CMR 54 Voting and Counting Procedures for Electronic Voting Systems
- 950 CMR 55 Certification of Nomination Papers and Petitions
- 950 CMR 56 Administrative Proceedings Concerning Practices of Local Election Officials
- 950 CMR 57 Voter Registration
- 950 CMR 58 Central Registry of Voters
- 950 CMR 59 State Ballot Law Commission: Adjudicatory Proceedings
- 950 CMR 60 Voting Equipment Loan Fund
- 970 CMR 1.01-4.15: Campaign Finance Activities
Selected Case Law
Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, 553 US 181, 128 S.Ct. 1610 (April 28,2008). In a 6-3 split, the US Supreme Court upheld an Indiana requirement that voters show government-issued identification at the polls.
Political Parties
Directory of All Parties and Designations
Massachusetts Democratic Party
Massachusetts Republican Party
Other Web Sources
Candidate's Guide to Special Elections, Mass. Secretary of State Elections Division. "This guide is intended for use by candidates running in special elections to fill vacancies in the U.S. House, Senate , state Senate and state House of Representatives."
Federal Election Commission. Administering and Enforcing Federal Campaign Finance Laws. Includes a searchable database of who is giving what to whom, and guidance in satisfying filing requirements.
Mass. Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Includes forms and guidance for filing under the campaign finance law, as well as instructions for obtaining public documents from the office.
Print Sources
America votes! : a guide to modern election law and voting rights, American Bar Association, 2008.
Massachusetts Election Administration, Campaign Finance and Lobbying Law, MCLE, 2008.