reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 43 § 37 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 37 - Initiative Petition; Measure Defined

Section 37. A petition conforming to the requirements hereinafter provided and requesting the city council to pass a measure, except an order granted under section seventy or seventy-one of chapter one hundred and sixty-four or chapter one hundred and sixty-six, or requesting the school committee to pass a measure, therein set forth or designated, shall be termed an initiative petition, and shall be acted upon as hereinafter provided. In this and the eight following sections, ''measure'' shall mean an ordinance, resolution, order or vote passed by a city council, or a resolution, order or vote passed by a school committee, as the case may be.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 38 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 38 - Initiative Petitions; Validity of Signatures; Objections

Section 38. Signatures to initiative petitions need not be all on one paper. The papers constituting a petition shall be filed in the office of the city clerk, with the endorsement thereon of the names and addresses of three persons designated as filing the same, but all the papers need not be filed at the same time. The petition shall be considered filed whenever the designated persons notify the board in writing that the filing is complete. Before receiving such notice, the registrars of voters may, but shall not be required to, certify signatures on the papers already filed. With each signature to the petition shall be stated the place of residence of the signer, giving the street and number, if any.  Within five days after the filing of said petition the registrars of voters shall ascertain by what number of registered voters the petition is signed, and what percentage that number is of the total number of registered voters, and shall attach thereto their certificate showing the result of such examination.  The city clerk shall forthwith transmit the said certificate with the said petition to the city council or to the school committee, according as the petition is addressed, and at the same time shall send a copy of said certificate to one or more of the persons designated on the petition as filing the same.  When such certificate has been so transmitted, said petition shall be deemed to be valid unless written objections are made thereto by a registered voter of the city within forty-eight hours after such certification by filing such objections with the city council or the school committee, and a copy thereof with the registrars of voters or the board or commission having similar duties. Section seven of chapter fifty-five B shall apply to such objections, and the board of registration of voters shall transmit a copy of its decision to the city council or school committee.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 39 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 39 - Initiative Petition; Passage and Submission to Electorate

Section 39. If any initiative petition is signed by registered voters equal in number to at least fifteen per cent of the whole number of registered voters:  (1) the city council or the school committee shall, within twenty days after the date of the certificate of the registrars to that effect, pass said measure without alteration, subject to the referendum vote provided by this chapter, or  (2) the city clerk shall call a special election to be held on a Tuesday fixed by said clerk not less than thirty nor more than forty-five days after the date of qualification, and shall submit the proposed measure without alteration to a vote of the registered voters of the city at that election; provided, however, that if any city election is otherwise to occur within ninety days after the date of qualification, the city clerk may, at his discretion, omit calling the special election and submit the proposed measure to the voters at such approaching election.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 40 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 40 - Proceedings if Initiative Petition Not Properly Signed

Section 40. If an initiative petition is signed by registered voters equal in number to at least eight per cent but less than fifteen per cent of the total number of registered voters, and said measure is not passed without alteration within twenty days by the city council or the school committee, as provided in the preceding section, such proposed measure, without alteration, shall be submitted by the city clerk to a vote of the registered voters of the city at the next regular municipal election which occurs at least thirty days after the date of qualification. As used in this section and section thirty-nine, ''date of qualification'' shall mean the twentieth day after the date of the certificate of the registrars, or the day on which the city council or school committee finally decides not to pass the measure without alteration, whichever day occurs first. A proposed measure under this section or section thirty-nine shall become effective if it shall be approved by registered voters of the city equal in number to one third of the whole number thereof and also by a majority of the voters voting on such measure, but not otherwise.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 41 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 41 - Contents of Ballot for Proposed Measure

Section 41. The ballots used when voting upon a proposed measure under section thirty-nine or forty, or a measure or part thereof protested against under the following section, shall contain only a fair, concise summary of the measure, as determined by the city solicitor, which shall follow the question, ''Do you approve of a measure summarized below?''
MA Gen L ch 43 § 42 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 42 - Referendum Petition; Effect on Final Passage

Section 42. If, within twenty days after the final passage of any measure, except a revenue loan order, by the city council or by the school committee, a petition signed by registered voters of the city, equal in number to at least twelve percent of the total number of registered voters, and addressed to the city council or to the school committee, as the case may be, protesting against such measure or any part thereof taking effect, is filed with the city clerk, the same shall thereupon and thereby be suspended from taking effect; and the city council or the school committee, as the case may be, shall immediately reconsider such measure or part thereof; and if such measure or part thereof is not entirely rescinded within twenty days after the date of the certificate of the registrars, the city clerk shall submit the same, by the method herein provided, to a vote of the registered voters of the city, either at the next regular city election not less than thirty days after said twentieth day, or at a special election which the city council may, in its discretion, call for the purpose, and such measure or part thereof shall forthwith become null and void unless a majority of the registered voters voting on the same at such election vote in favor thereof.  The petition described in this section shall be termed a referendum petition and section thirty-eight shall apply to the procedure in respect thereto, except that the words ''measure or part thereof protested against'' shall for this purpose be understood to replace ''measure'' in said section wherever it may occur, and ''referendum'' shall be understood to replace the word ''initiative'' in said section.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 43 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 43 - Submission of Proposed Measure to Voters

Section 43. The city council may, of its own motion, and shall, upon request of the school committee if a measure originates with that committee and pertains to the affairs under its administration, submit to a vote of the registered voters of the city for adoption or rejection at a general or special city election any proposed measure, or a proposition for the repeal or amendment of any measure, in the same manner and with the same force and effect as are hereby provided for submission on petition.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44 - Measures With Conflicting Provisions

Section 44. If two or more proposed measures passed at the same election contain conflicting provisions, only the one receiving the greater number of affirmative votes shall take effect.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44a - Preliminary Elections; Contents of Notices

Section 44A. In every city, governed on September first, nineteen hundred and twenty-two, by any plan provided by this chapter, which accepts sections forty-four A to forty-four G, inclusive, in the manner provided by section forty-four H, and in every city, except Boston, which, after said date adopts any such plan, except Plan E or F, in the manner provided in this chapter, the provisions of sections forty-four A to forty-four G, inclusive, shall apply. In such a city, on the fourth Tuesday preceding every regular or special city election, unless the mayor and aldermen fix an earlier day under section one hundred and three P of chapter fifty-four, there shall be held, except as otherwise provided in section forty-four G, a preliminary election for the purpose of nominating candidates therefor, and section sixteen shall not apply.  Notices or warrants for regular, preliminary and special elections shall specify by name all the offices to be voted for and state, in the form in which it will appear upon the ballot, any question submitted to the voters. They shall specify the time when the polls will be opened and when the polls will be closed. The polls at such elections shall be open during such hours as the city council may prescribe; provided, that they shall be opened not earlier than fifteen minutes before six o'clock in the forenoon nor later than ten o'clock in the forenoon and shall be kept open at least six hours, but in no event later than eight o'clock in the evening. The ballots to be used at such elections shall be governed by the provisions of section forty-nine.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44b - Inclusion of Name on Ballot; Prerequisites

Section 44B. Except as otherwise provided in section forty-four G, there shall not be printed on the official ballot to be used at any regular or special election the name of any person as a candidate for any office unless such person has been nominated as such at a preliminary election for nomination, held as provided in sections forty-four A to forty-four G, inclusive. There shall not be printed on the official ballot for use at such preliminary election the name of any candidate for nomination at such election, unless he shall have filed, within the time limited by section forty-four C, the statement and petition therein described.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44c - Candidates for Nomination; Qualifications; Statement and Petition

Section 44C. Any person who is qualified to vote for a candidate for any elective municipal office and who is a candidate for nomination thereto, shall be entitled to have his name as such candidate printed on the official ballot to be used at a preliminary election; provided, that within the time prescribed by section ten of chapter fifty-three in the case of preliminary elections in cities he shall file with the city clerk a statement in writing of his candidacy, and with it the petition of at least fifty voters, qualified to vote for a candidate for the said office. Said statement and petition shall be in substantially the following form:—  Statement of Candidate  I ( ), on oath declare that I reside at (number if any) on (name of street) in the city of ; that I am a voter therein, qualified to vote for a candidate for the hereinafter mentioned office; that I am a candidate for the office of (name of office) for (state the term) to be vote for at the preliminary election to be held on Tuesday, the day of , nineteen hundred and , and I request that my name be printed as such candidate on the official ballot for use at said preliminary election.  (Signed)  Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ss.  Subscribed and sworn to on this day of , nineteen hundred and before me,  (Signed)  Justice of the Peace,  or (Notary Public).  Petition Accompanying Statement of Candidate  Whereas (name of candidate) is a candidate for nomination for the office of (state the office) for (state the term), we, the undersigned, voters of the city of , duly qualified to vote for a candidate for said office, do hereby request that the name of said (name of candidate) as a candidate for nomination for said office be printed on the official ballot to be used at the preliminary election to be held on the Tuesday of , nineteen hundred and .  We further state that we believe him to be of good moral character and qualified to perform the duties of the office.  No acceptance by the candidate for nomination named in the said petition shall be necessary to its validity or its filing, and the petition, which may be on one or more papers, need not be sworn to.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44d (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44d - Official Ballot; Posting Lists of Candidates; Drawing for Position on Ballot

Section 44D. On the first day, other than Sunday or a legal holiday, following the expiration of the time for filing the above described statement and petition, the city clerk shall post in a conspicuous place in the city hall the names and residences of the candidates for nomination who have duly qualified as candidates for nomination, as they are to appear on the official ballots to be used at the preliminary election, except as to the order of the names, and shall cause the ballots which shall contain said names, in their order as drawn by the clerk, and no others, with a designation of residence, and of the office and term of service, to be printed, and the ballots so printed shall be official and no others shall be used at the preliminary election. In drawing for position on the ballot the candidates shall have an opportunity to be present in person or by one representative each. Blank spaces shall be left at the end of each list of candidates for nomination for the different offices equal to the number to be nominated therefor, in which the voter may insert the name of any person not printed on the ballot for whom he desires to vote for nomination for such office. There shall be printed on such ballots such directions as will aid the voter, as, for example: ''vote for one'', ''vote for two'', and the like, and the ballots shall be headed as follows:—  Official Preliminary Ballot  Candidates for nomination for the offices of ( ) in the city of at a preliminary election to be held on the day of in the year nineteen hundred and .  (The heading shall be varied in accordance with the offices for which nominations are to be made.)
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44e (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44e - Counting Ballots; Canvass of Returns

Section 44E. The election officers shall, immediately upon the closing of the polls at preliminary elections, count the ballots and ascertain the number of votes cast in the several voting places for each candidate, and forthwith make return thereof upon blanks to be furnished, as in regular elections, to the city clerk who shall canvass said returns and shall forthwith determine the result thereof, insert the same in one or more newspapers published in the city, and post the same in a conspicuous place in the city hall.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44f (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44f - Determination of Candidates for Election

Section 44F. The two persons receiving at a preliminary election the highest number of votes for nomination for an office shall, except as provided by section forty-four G, be the sole candidates for that office whose names may be printed on the official ballot to be used at the regular or special election at which such office is to be filled, and no acceptance of a nomination at a preliminary election shall be necessary to its validity; provided, however, that a person nominated at a preliminary election may withdraw his name from nomination by a request signed and duly acknowledged by him and filed with the city or town clerk within six days succeeding five o'clock in the afternoon of the day of holding such preliminary election. Such nominee shall be replaced by the candidate with the next highest number of votes in said preliminary, unless otherwise provided by the charter or by-laws of the city or town.  If two or more persons are to be elected to the same office at such regular or special election the several persons in number equal to twice the number so to be elected receiving at such preliminary election the highest number of votes for nomination for that office shall, except as provided by section forty-four G, be the sole candidates for that office whose names may be printed on the official ballot.  If the preliminary election results in a tie vote among candidates for nomination receiving the lowest number of votes, which, but for said tie vote, would entitle a person receiving the same to have his name printed upon the official ballot for the election, all candidates participating in said tie vote shall have their names printed upon the official ballot, although in consequence there be printed thereon candidates to a number exceeding twice the number to be elected.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44g (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44g - Nomination of Candidates; Conditions Making Preliminary Election Unnecessary

Section 44G. If at the expiration of the time for filing statements of candidates to be voted for at any preliminary election not more than twice as many such statements have been filed with the city clerk for an office as are to be elected to such office, the candidates whose statements have thus been filed shall be deemed to have been nominated to said office, and their names shall be voted on for such office at the succeeding regular or special election, as the case may be, and the city clerk shall not print said names upon the ballot to be used at said preliminary election and no other nomination to said office shall be made. If in consequence it shall appear that no names are to be printed upon the official ballot to be used at any preliminary election in any ward or wards of the city, no preliminary election shall be held in any such ward or wards.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 44h (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 44h - Acceptance of Sections Dealing With Preliminary Elections; Submission to Electorate

Section 44H. If, in a city governed on September first, nineteen hundred and twenty-two, by one of the plans provided by this chapter, there is filed with the city clerk, not later than one month before a regular city election, a petition conforming so far as possible to the provisions of sections eight and nine, requesting that such city accept the provisions of sections forty-four A to forty-four G, inclusive, and bearing the signatures of registered voters thereof, duly certified by the registrars of voters, to a number equal to at least ten per cent of the registered voters thereof at the biennial state election next preceding such filing, the following question shall be placed upon the official ballot to be used in such city at the next regular city election:—''Shall sections forty-four A to forty-four G, inclusive, of chapter forty-three of the General Laws, relative to the nomination by preliminary elections of candidates for elective municipal offices in cities governed under a standard form of city charter, be accepted by the city of ?'' If a majority of the voters voting thereon in such city vote in the affirmative, said sections shall take effect therein.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 45 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 45 - Provisions Applicable to Adoption of Any Governmental Plan

Section 45. Sections one to forty-four G, inclusive, shall, upon the adoption by any city of any of the plans hereinafter set forth, apply to the plan so adopted, except as is otherwise provided in such plan.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 46 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 46 - Plan A

Section 46. The method of city government provided for in the ten following sections shall be known as Plan A.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 47 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 47 - Effective Date of Plan

Section 47. Upon the adoption of Plan A, it shall become operative as provided in sections one to forty-five, inclusive.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 48 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 48 - Mayor as Chief Executive Officer; Term of Office

Section 48. There shall be a mayor, elected by and from the qualified voters of the city, who shall be the chief executive officer of the city. He shall hold office for the term of two years from the first Monday of January following his election, and until his successor is qualified.
MA Gen L ch 43 § 49 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 43 - City Charters|Section 49 - Party Designations on Ballots Prohibited

Section 49. No ballot used at any annual, biennial or special city election shall have printed thereon any party or political designation or mark, and there shall not be appended to the name of any candidate any such party or political designation or mark, or anything showing how he was nominated or indicating his views or opinions.