reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 102 - Printed Information and Instructions as to Absent Voting

Section 102. The state secretary shall prepare for the use of election officers, city and town clerks and registrars of voters such printed information and instructions as he may deem proper to facilitate the operation of sections eighty-six to one hundred and three, inclusive. Such printed matter shall be transmitted to said officials prior to each state election. The state secretary may prepare and distribute such general information relative to said sections as he may deem expedient.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 103 - Jurisdiction of Courts

Section 103. The supreme judicial and superior courts shall have jurisdiction in equity to require the certification of any application for an absent voting ballot which the registrars have unreasonably refused to certify, to order the counting of any ballot improperly rejected, or to enjoin the counting of any ballot which cannot reasonably be identified as the ballot of a person lawfully entitled to vote as provided in sections eighty-six to one hundred and two, inclusive, or which was not cast in accordance therewith; provided, that no proceeding hereunder shall be begun later than the date fixed by law for the final canvass of votes cast for candidates for state offices.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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, inclusive, of this chapter, sections twenty-one and twenty-seven of chapter fifty-six and sections thirty-four A and thirty-seven A of chapter fifty-three shall, so far as applicable, apply to special and regular city primaries, preliminary elections, elections and to town primaries, preliminary elections and elections whether special or regular and to special and regular regional vocational school district elections including elections called to authorize bond issues for said districts. It shall not apply to caucuses wherein official ballots are not used. All the rights, powers, duties and obligations imposed and conferred upon the state secretary by said sections shall, with respect to said city and town elections, preliminary elections, primaries and caucuses, be exercised and performed by the clerk of such city or town, and, in construing said sections for the purposes of this section, any reference to state elections shall be considered as referring to said city or town function. The city or town clerk shall provide the papers required by said sections in a form prescribed by the state secretary.
In each such city which holds its regular city election annually, or which holds such election biennially in the even numbered years, and in which the date for such election is fixed by general or special law at a date earlier than the third Tuesday of December, the date of such city election shall be said third Tuesday and not such earlier date.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 103p - City or Town Elections; Preliminary Elections or Primaries

Section 103P. The provisions of this section shall apply to any regular annual or biennial city or town election, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary. The mayor and aldermen in cities or selectmen in towns may fix the day of holding preliminary elections or primaries in their cities and towns. Where the filing of nomination papers and certification of names thereon in cities and towns that have preliminary elections is based upon the day of the election, they may fix the time for filing nomination papers and for certification of the names thereon. Where nominations for election at a city or town election are made by nomination papers, or by caucuses or conventions, they may fix the last day for filing certificates of nomination and nomination papers. In any city or town where petitions to place questions on the official ballot are filed, they may also fix the last day for filing such petitions. All such petitions shall be submitted to the registrars of voters for certification of the names thereon on or before the fourteenth day preceding the day so fixed for filing.
In any city or town election wherein the voting list of the current year is not available for the purpose of certifying names, the voting list of the preceding year, as amended or revised from time to time, may be used therefor.
Any action taken by the mayor and aldermen or selectmen fixing any day as authorized by this section shall be taken not later than the sixtieth day prior to the day so fixed, and such day so fixed shall be prior to the day otherwise provided by general or special law, and if not so fixed general or special laws shall otherwise apply thereto.
Notice of such action shall be published in one or more local newspapers, if any, or posted in at least five public places within the city or town.
Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, if the day fixed by a city or town for holding a preliminary or primary election falls on a religious holiday and impairs the rights of voters as determined by the state secretary, the city or town shall change the date of the election so as to protect the rights of voters.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 104 - Use of State Blank Forms and Apparatus; Canvass of Votes

Section 104. The blank forms and apparatus provided by the state secretary shall be used in ascertaining the result of the election or vote in state elections in cities and towns, in city elections, in elections of town officers in towns where official ballots are used, and also in taking the vote upon any proposed amendment to the constitution, upon any law or proposed law submitted to the voters by referendum or initiative petition, and upon any other question submitted by statute to the voters of any senatorial or representative district, or of any city or town in which official ballots are used. If it is impossible to use such blank forms or apparatus, the canvass of the votes shall be made as the presiding officer shall direct; and the clerk shall record the facts relating to the failure to use such blank forms or apparatus, and shall enclose an attested copy of such record in the envelope with the ballots cast.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 106 - Defective Ballots

Section 106. If the use of a state ballot box is required, no ballot shall be counted unless it has been deposited in and cancelled by such ballot box, or has been otherwise deposited in accordance with section sixty-six. Only official ballots shall be counted in any election for which they are provided. If a voter marks more names than there are persons to be elected to an office, or if his choice cannot be determined, his ballot shall not be counted for such office. Ballots cast but not counted shall be marked ''defective'' on the outside thereof, and shall be preserved like other ballots.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 107 - Enclosing and Sealing Ballots and Voting Lists; Certification

Section 107. The presiding officer at every polling place at elections of state and city officers and of town officers in towns where official ballots are used shall, after the record of the counting has been made, cause all ballots cast to be publicly enclosed in an envelope or container and sealed up with a seal of durable material provided therefor and also with the private seal of any election officer who may desire to affix the same. Seals for containers may be of material used in such manner as to effectively lock the container, or the container may be tied up lengthwise and crosswise with heavy twine securely tied and with the knot sealed with stationer's sealing wax. The warden and the clerk of the voting precinct, polling place or town shall endorse upon such envelope or container the polling place, the election and the date, and also a certificate that all the ballots cast by the voters of such precinct, polling place or town, and none other, are contained therein. He shall cause all ballots not cast to be enclosed in an envelope or container and sealed up as aforesaid, and shall certify on the envelope or container the contents thereof. Such presiding officer shall cause the voting lists to be enclosed in an envelope and sealed up as aforesaid, and the warden and the clerk shall certify thereon to the identity of the voting lists enclosed. He shall forthwith personally deliver to the city or town clerk or transmit to him, by the police officer or constable in attendance at the election, all the ballots cast, and not cast, the voting lists, the ballot box, the ballot box seals and counting apparatus. This section shall not apply to ballots used in any approved electronic voting system which requires the transmittal of said ballots to a tabulation center.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 108 - Copies of Voting Lists as Checked

Section 108. At any time after the election, upon written request of any person, the city or town clerk shall, within a reasonable time, open the envelope in which the voting lists have been enclosed, as provided in section one hundred and seven, and make a copy of the lists as checked. The clerk shall thereupon furnish a copy of said lists to the person making the request on payment of a reasonable fee or shall allow such person to examine and copy said lists without charge under such supervision as the clerk may reasonably require. After any such voting list has been so copied, said clerk shall at once enclose it in an envelope, seal up the same and certify thereon to the identity of such lists.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 109 - Ballots and Lists; Custody; Disposition

Section 109. City and town clerks shall retain in their custody the envelopes or containers containing the ballots cast, without examining them or permitting them to be examined by any person except as required by law, and upon the expiration of the period fixed for their preservation shall cause such ballots to be destroyed.
City and town clerks shall retain in their custody the voting lists as long as they retain the ballots cast. They shall then transmit such voting lists to the registrars of voters, and shall destroy the ballots marked ''Spoiled'', without examining them or permitting them to be examined. Such voting lists shall be preserved by the registrars of voters for reference for two years after the expiration of which they may be destroyed.
City and town clerks shall retain in their custody ballots not cast for 30 days or until any contest is determined or claim is withdrawn under section 134, and shall then make such disposition of the ballots not cast as they consider proper.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 110a - Central Tabulation Facilities

Section 110A. The returns transmitted under section one hundred and five shall be considered unofficial and shall be in addition to returns required under this chapter, and shall be disseminated as received by the state secretary from the central tabulation facilities established by him under said section one hundred and five. Subject to the approval of the governor and council, the state secretary may make, and from time to time amend, rules governing the establishment of such central tabulation facilities and the administration thereof.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 111 - Examination of Precinct Records; Errors; Certification

Section 111. The city or town clerk shall forthwith after each election examine the copies of the records of the election officers, and if any error appears therein, shall forthwith give notice thereof to the officers by whom the error was made, who shall forthwith make an additional record under oath in conformity with the facts and deliver a copy thereof to the city or town clerk. Such copy of the records made, with or without notice as aforesaid, shall be received by the city or town clerk at any time before the last day fixed for the transmission of copies of records of the votes cast in the city or town, or on which the results of the election are required to be declared.
The city or town clerk shall examine all original and all additional copies of the records and make them part of the records of such election, and shall certify and attest copies of the records of votes for the several candidates.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 112 - Copies of Records of Votes to State Secretary

Section 112. The clerk of each city and town and in Boston the Board of Election Commissioners, within fifteen days after the day of any election therein for a senator in congress, representative in congress, governor, lieutenant governor, councillor, state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor, attorney general, clerk of courts, register of probate, sheriff, district attorney, senator or representative in the general court, or for presidential electors, shall transmit to the state secretary copies of the records of votes cast for such officers, together with copies of the records of votes cast on any constitutional amendment, law or proposed law, and on any question submitted to them by statute in any senatorial or representative district or in two or more cities or towns. Said record shall be certified, attested, and sealed by the city or town clerk or election commissioners. The city or town clerk shall within fifteen days after an election for county treasurer or register of deeds, transmit to the county commissioners, and within fifteen days after an election for county commissioners, transmit to the clerk of the courts the records of votes for such officers, certified, attested and sealed as aforesaid; except that in Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop the records of votes for register of deeds shall be transmitted to the election commissioners of Boston. Such copies shall be transmitted in envelopes, upon which shall be stated the offices for, questions on which and districts in which the votes were cast.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 113 - Unsealed Copies Transmitted to State Secretary; Proceedings

Section 113. If any such copy transmitted to the state secretary is not sealed as required by law, he shall forthwith give notice thereof to the officers who transmitted the same; and thereupon another copy shall be made, attested, certified, sealed and transmitted to the secretary. If the second copy is received by him before determination of the persons appearing to be elected and the original appears to be in substantial conformity therewith, the original copy shall not be rejected.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 and council the copies of the votes cast. After such delivery, the governor, with at least five councillors, shall examine the copies. They shall tabulate said votes and determine who appear to be elected to the several offices, and what appears to be the result of the votes on any question or questions, and shall forthwith transmit to the state secretary an abstract of such tabulation and determination. The state secretary, upon application, shall furnish to newspapers copies of such abstract. In case of a state-wide or district-wide recount under section one hundred and thirty-five, the state secretary shall in like manner lay before the governor and council the copies of the amended records received by him under said section, and the governor with at least five councillors shall, if necessary, revise the aforesaid tabulation and determination accordingly.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 116 - Certification of Results; Summons; Certificates of Election

Section 116. The governor shall, in the presence of at least five councillors, certify to the results of the examination of the copies of the records of votes cast for governor and lieutenant governor, for councillors, for state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney general, and for senators and representatives in the general court, and shall issue his summons to such persons as appear to be chosen to said offices. The governor shall issue certificates of election to such persons as appear to be chosen to the offices of senator in congress, representative in congress, clerk of the courts, register of probate, sheriff and district attorney, which shall be countersigned and transmitted by the state secretary. No certification shall be made or summons or certificate issued under this section until after five o'clock in the afternoon of the fifteenth day following a state election, or, in case a state-wide or district-wide recount is held in accordance with section one hundred and thirty-five, until the tabulation and determination under the preceding section have been revised in accordance with the results of such recount; provided, however, that such certification may be made or summons or certificate issued on or after the seventh day following a special state election, unless a candidate who received votes at that election files with the state secretary, not later than five o'clock in the afternoon of the sixth day following the election, a written statement of intention to seek a recount or otherwise to contest the election.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 116a - Election of Person Not Listed on State Ballot; Financial Interest Statement

Section 116A. Any person whose name does not appear on the state election ballot, but who receives sufficient votes to elect him to an office appearing on said ballot, shall within three days after the certification of his election file a statement of financial interest under chapter two hundred and sixty-eight B with the state ethics commission, if he has not already done so.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 117 - Return to State Secretary; Laying Before Legislature; Filing

Section 117. After such certification, such copies shall be replaced in their respective envelopes and delivered with the certificate of examination to the state secretary, who shall on the first Wednesday in January lay the same, with schedules showing the number of ballots cast for each person voted for, before the senate and house of representatives.
Except for the above purposes, all such copies, both original and corrected, transmitted to the state secretary, shall remain on file in his office and be there open to the inspection of any interested person.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 118 - Presidential Electors; Copies of Records of Votes; Proclamations; Certificate of Election

Section 118. The copies of the records of votes for presidential electors shall, in any event, within ten days after they have been transmitted to the state secretary, be examined by the governor and council, who shall thereafter declare, by proclamation, the names of the persons who have received at least one-fifth of the entire number of votes cast for electors, and the number of votes received by each such person. The several persons, to the number of electors required to be chosen, who have received the highest number of votes so ascertained, unless notice of a contest has been received by the governor, shall, at the expiration of fourteen days from the date of such proclamation, be deemed to be elected; and the governor shall thereupon issue a certificate of election to every such person.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 119 - Petition to Court for Declaration of Election; Notice; Hearing

Section 119. Any person who appears, by the proclamation of the governor, to have received not less than one fifth of the entire number of votes cast for electors, may, if the election is contested, apply by petition to the supreme judicial court for Suffolk county, for a declaration of his election as an elector. Such petition shall set forth the name of every person whose election is contested and the ground for the contest, shall be filed within seven days after the date of such proclamation and shall not thereafter be amended. Before any proceedings thereon, the petitioner shall recognize to the commonwealth, in such sum and with such sureties as the court shall order, to pay all costs incurred in the prosecution of his petition if he shall not prevail. If the petitioner prevails, the cost shall be paid by the commonwealth. The court shall fix a day for a hearing by the full court, which shall be not less than three nor more than seven days after the date of the filing of the petition, and shall order notice of the hearing to be given, with a statement of the substance of the petition in such manner as it may direct, to the governor and to every person whose election is contested. The court shall also order such notice to be published in at least one newspaper designated by it in each county.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 120 - Procedure; Compulsion and Immunity of Witness

Section 120. The petitioner and the contestant may appear and produce evidence at the hearing, and no person other than the petitioner or a contestant shall be made a party to the proceedings on such petition, or be heard thereon. If more than one petition is pending, or the election of more than one person is contested, the court may order the cases to be heard together and shall apportion the costs between them, and shall finally determine all questions of law and fact. No person shall be excused from testifying or producing papers or documents therein on the ground that his testimony or the production of the papers or documents will tend to criminate him; but no person so testifying shall be liable to any suit or prosecution, civil or criminal, for any matter or cause in respect to which he shall be so examined or to which his testimony shall relate, except to a prosecution for perjury committed in such testimony. The court shall forthwith certify its decision to the governor, who shall thereupon issue certificates of election in accordance therewith. If the petitioner does not prosecute his petition it shall be dismissed and notice thereof given to the governor, who shall issue certificates of election to the persons entitled thereto.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 121 - Examination of Records; Certificates of Election; Notice to State Secretary

Section 121. The county commissioners to whom the copies of the records of votes for county treasurer and register of deeds have been transmitted shall, on the first Wednesday of the month following the election, examine such copies, determine what persons appear to be elected, issue certificates of election to them and give notice to the state secretary of the name, residence, and number of votes received by each candidate in each city and town, with the name and term of office of every person elected.
In Suffolk county, the election commissioners of Boston shall, within ten days after the election of register of deeds, in like manner examine the copies of the records of votes, determine who appears to be elected, issue a certificate and give notice as above provided.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 122 - Board of Examiners; Duties; Certificates of Election; Notice to State Secretary

Section 122. In each county, except Suffolk and Nantucket, the judge and register of the probate court and the clerk of the courts shall be a board of examiners; and if two of said offices are held by the same person in any county, the sheriff shall be a member of the board. The members of said board shall each be paid at the rate of three dollars a day for every day employed in the performance of their duties and ten cents a mile for travel to and from the place of their meeting; and their accounts shall be audited and settled by the county treasurer. Said board shall meet on the first Wednesday of the month following an election for county commissioners and shall examine such copies, determine what persons appear to be elected, issue certificates of election to them and give notice to the state secretary of the name, residence and number of votes received by each candidate in each city and town, with the name and term of office of every person so elected, and shall, within three days thereafter deposit said copies in the office of the clerk of the courts.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 123 - Incomplete Records; New Copies of Returns

Section 123. If it shall appear to the governor and council, to the board of examiners, to the election commissioners or to the county commissioners, that any copy of a record of votes examined by them is incomplete or erroneous, they may order a new copy of the records to be made and transmitted to them. Such new copy shall be transmitted by the city or town clerk within seven days thereafter, and if found to be correct and in conformity to the requirements of law, shall have the same force as a first copy.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 129 - Copies of Returns of Votes; Transmittal to State Secretary

Section 129. City and town clerks shall, within fifteen days after an election for representative in the general court, transmit to the state secretary an attested copy of the record of votes cast for all candidates for said office in each voting precinct and in each town not divided into voting precincts.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 130 - Number of Ballots Cast; Statement at Length

Section 130. The whole number of ballots cast at elections shall be stated in words at length in the records of votes and in all copies thereof, but if not so stated, the record or copy shall not be invalid if the true result can be ascertained therefrom.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 131 - Violations; Effect on Records

Section 131. A violation by a public officer or election officer of laws relative to providing ballot boxes, blank forms and other apparatus or to the care and preservation thereof, or to the manner of canvassing and counting votes, shall not invalidate any record or copy of a record or certificate made by a city, precinct or town clerk, or affect the title of a person declared to be elected to office.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 132 - Number of Names Checked; Certification

Section 132. The city or town clerk shall, within fifteen days after an election of state, city or town officers, certify to the state secretary the total number of voters checked on the voting list at such election in each voting precinct of the town. In the case of an election of state officers said clerk shall send a duplicate copy, sealed, to said state secretary, to be by him transmitted to the governor and council. The committee of the council tabulating the returns of votes shall include in their report thereon the number of ballots cast in a district wherein a question is submitted to the voters and a return thereon is made to the state secretary. The city or town clerk shall within fifteen days after an election at which electors of president and vice-president are to be chosen likewise certify to the state secretary the total number of names checked on the list of persons qualified to vote only for such electors at such election in each voting precinct or town, and a duplicate copy thereof, sealed, to be by him transmitted to the governor and council.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 133 - Number of Registered Voters, etc.; Report

Section 133. The state secretary shall before February first of each year report to the general court the number of registered voters in each city and town at the date of the last preceding state, and city or town election, as the case may be, and the total number of persons who voted at each such election in every city and town, and in every voting precinct therein, and, in the year following a state election, the number of votes received by each candidate for nomination and for election for a state office, and for election for a state committee, arranged by cities, towns and districts, and a concise statement of other matters relating to elections, with such suggestions as he deems advisable.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 134 - Contested Elections; Retention of Ballots; Recounts

Section 134. If a person who has received votes for any office at an election shall, within thirty days thereafter, himself or by his agent serve upon a city or town clerk a written claim to such office or a declaration of an intention to contest the election of any other person, the clerk shall retain the envelopes or containers containing the ballots for such office until such claim is withdrawn or the contest is determined. Any court of competent jurisdiction, or any body having jurisdiction under any constitution, statute, or charter to judge the elections or returns of its own members, may require the clerk to produce such envelopes or containers and ballots.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 135b - Recount Where Electronic Voting System Used; Petition Specifying Recount by Hand

Section 135B. The recount of the votes cast in any polling place where an electronic voting system is used shall consist of the inserting of the original ballots or ballot cards in a computer or tabulating mechanism which has been programmed and tested in accordance with section thirty-three F; provided, that if the recount petition so specifies, said recount shall consist of the checking of the original ballots or ballot cards by hand. Any such recount shall be in conformity with the provisions of section one hundred and thirty-five, so far as applicable.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 137 - Election Results in Cities; Declaration Before Recounts; Certificates of Election

Section 137. The city clerk shall not declare the result of an election for city officers or of a vote upon any question submitted to the voters until the time for filing a petition for a recount of ballots has expired, or, if such petition has been filed, until the ballots have been recounted and the returns amended, notwithstanding any special act relating to the city. After the ballots have been recounted and the records amended, the city clerk shall forthwith declare the result of the election, and shall thereupon issue certificates of their election to the persons elected. No person elected to a city office shall act in an official capacity by virtue of such election before his certificate of election has been issued.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 138 - Presidential Electors

Section 138. If, upon examination of the copies of the records of votes for presidential electors, it appears that a majority of the whole number of electors has not been chosen, the governor shall forthwith, by proclamation, call together the general court; and the senators and representatives assembled in joint convention shall by ballot choose electors to complete the full number.
If the whole number of electors has not been chosen when the electors meet on the date fixed under federal law, or if an elector has died or is then absent, the electors present shall forthwith choose electors from the citizens of the commonwealth to complete the full number.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 140 - Senators and Representatives in Congress; Vacancies

Section 140. (a) Upon failure to choose a senator or representative in congress or upon creation of a vacancy in that office, the governor shall immediately cause precepts to be issued to the aldermen in every city and the selectmen in every town in the district, directing them to call an election on the day appointed in the precepts for the election of such senator or representative. The day so appointed shall not be more than 160 nor less than 145 days after the date that a vacancy is created or a failure to choose occurs. Filing a letter of resignation creates a vacancy under this section, even if the resignation is not effective until some later time, but the date of the election to fill a vacancy under this section shall be after the resignation is effective.
(b) If a vacancy under this section is created after February 1 of an even-numbered year, the governor shall not issue the precepts required by subsection (a), except as subsection (c) provides for a vacancy for senator.
(c) If a vacancy is created for senator in congress after April 10 of an even-numbered year, the governor shall issue precepts under this section, unless section 152 requires that office to appear on the biennial state election ballot in that year. If this section prevents issuance of precepts for senator, the office shall appear on the biennial state election ballot in that year. If a vacancy for senator is created after April 10 of an even-numbered year, but on or before the seventieth day preceding the regular state primary, the precepts shall appoint the day of the regular state primary and the biennial state election for holding the special primary and special election required by this section.
(d) If at the time a senator or representative in congress is elected at the biennial state election, there exists a vacancy in that office, the senator or representative shall also be deemed to have been elected to serve out that vacancy.
(e) A senator elected to fill a vacancy under this section shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(f) Upon failure to choose a senator in congress or upon a vacancy in that office, the governor shall make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy; provided, however, that the person so appointed shall serve until the election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy pursuant to subsection (a) or (c).
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 141 - Representatives in General Court; Vacancies

Section 141. Upon a vacancy in the office of representative in the general court or upon failure to elect, the speaker of the house of representatives shall issue precepts to the aldermen of each city and the selectmen of each town comprising the district or any part thereof, appointing such time as the house of representatives may order for an election to fill such vacancy; provided, that if such vacancy occurs during a recess between the first and second annual sessions of the same general court, the speaker may fix the time for an election to fill such vacancy. All such elections shall be held on a Tuesday. Upon receipt of such precepts, the aldermen or the selectmen shall call an election, which shall be held in accordance with the precepts.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 142 - District Attorneys and County Officers

Section 142. Upon failure to choose a district attorney, clerk of the courts or in Suffolk county of the supreme judicial or superior court, register of probate or sheriff, the governor shall cause precepts to be issued to the proper officers, directing them to call an election on the day appointed therein for the election of such officer.
Upon a vacancy by removal or otherwise in any of the above named offices, he shall in like manner cause precepts to be issued for an election to fill such vacancy at the next biennial state election for which precepts can be seasonably issued, unless the term of the office expires on the first Wednesday of January following such state election.
Upon a vacancy in the office of district attorney, register of probate or sheriff, the governor with the advice and consent of the council may appoint some person thereto until a district attorney, register of probate or sheriff is qualified.
Upon a vacancy in the office of clerk of the courts in any county, or of the clerk of the supreme judicial court in Suffolk county, the justices of said court may appoint a clerk to hold the office until a clerk is qualified.
Upon a vacancy in the office of a clerk of the superior court in Suffolk county, the justices of said court may appoint a clerk to hold the office until a clerk is qualified.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 143 - County Treasurers; Registers of Deeds

Section 143. Upon failure to choose a county treasurer or a register of deeds for a county or district, except Suffolk and Nantucket counties, the county commissioners shall forthwith issue precepts to the aldermen of each city and the selectmen of each town in such county or district, directing them to call an election for the election of such officer on a day appointed therein.
Upon a vacancy by removal or otherwise in the office of county treasurer or of register of deeds in a county or district, except in Suffolk and Nantucket counties, the county commissioners shall in like manner issue precepts for an election to fill such vacancy at the next biennial state election for which precepts can be seasonably issued, unless the term of the office expires on the first Wednesday of January following such state election, and may appoint some person to fill such office until a person is elected thereto and qualified. The person so appointed shall give bond as provided in section three of chapter thirty-five or section three of chapter thirty-six, as the case may be.
Upon failure to choose a register of deeds in Suffolk county, or upon a vacancy in that office, the city council of Boston shall call meetings to elect a register of deeds or to fill such vacancy, as is above provided for an election in other counties; and, upon a vacancy in that office in said Suffolk county, the superior court shall appoint some person to the office until a person is elected thereto and qualified.
Upon failure to choose a register of deeds in Nantucket county, or upon a vacancy in that office, the selectmen of the town of Nantucket shall call a meeting to elect a register of deeds as is above provided for an election in other counties, and may appoint some person to the office until a person is elected thereto and qualified.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 143a - Register of Deeds; Vacancies

Section 143A. Upon a vacancy by removal or otherwise in the office of register of deeds in a county or district in which said office is under the general superintendency or jurisdiction of the secretary of the commonwealth the secretary shall forthwith issue precepts for an election to fill such vacancy at the next biennial state election for which precepts can be seasonably issued, unless the term of said office expires on the first Wednesday of January following such state election, and the state secretary shall appoint some person to fill such office until a person is elected thereto and qualified. The person so appointed shall give bond as provided in section 3 of chapter 36.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 144 - County Commissioners

Section 144. Upon failure to choose a county commissioner, the board of examiners shall forthwith issue precepts to the aldermen of each city and to the selectmen of each town in such county, directing them to call an election to elect such officer on a day appointed therein.
Upon a vacancy by removal or otherwise in the office of county commissioner, the board of examiners shall in like manner issue precepts for an election to fill such vacancy at the next biennial state election for which precepts can be seasonably issued, unless the term of office of the commissioner whose office is so vacant expires on the first Wednesday of January following such election.
Also upon such vacancy, the two remaining county commissioners and the clerk of the courts for the county, or a majority of them, may appoint a person, not a resident of the same town as either of the remaining commissioners, to fill the office of county commissioner until a person is elected thereto and qualified.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 146 - Notice to State Secretary

Section 146. The county commissioners in each county shall forthwith notify the state secretary of any vacancy in the office of county treasurer or of register of deeds; and the board of examiners shall give like notice to the state secretary of any vacancy in the office of county commissioner, and in each case they shall send to him a copy of the precepts issued by them for an election.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 148 - Meetings; Organization; Record of Proceedings

Section 148. The persons chosen as presidential electors shall meet at the state house on the date fixed by federal law next following their election at three o'clock in the afternoon and organize by the choice of a presiding officer and secretary. The state secretary shall call the meeting to order, call the roll of electors, and preside until a presiding officer shall be chosen. The secretary of the electors shall keep a journal of their proceedings and deposit the same in the office of the state secretary, where it shall be recorded and filed.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 150 - State Officers

Section 150. At the biennial state election there shall be chosen by the voters of the commonwealth, as prescribed by the constitution, a governor, lieutenant governor, state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney general; by the voters in each councillor district, one councillor; by the voters in each senatorial district, one senator; and by the voters in each representative district, such number of representatives as the district is entitled to elect.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 151 - Presidential Electors

Section 151. At the biennial state election in each year in which presidential electors are required to be elected, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives in congress to which the commonwealth is entitled, shall be chosen by the voters of the commonwealth in the manner and with the effect provided by section seventy-eight.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 155 - Clerks of Courts

Section 155. At the biennial state election in nineteen hundred and twenty-two, and in every sixth year thereafter, the clerk of the courts in counties other than Suffolk, and in Suffolk the clerk of the supreme judicial court for that county and the clerks of the superior court for civil and for criminal business therein, shall be chosen by the voters of their respective counties.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 158 - County Commissioners

Section 158. There shall be chosen by the voters of each of the counties, except Suffolk and Nantucket, at the biennial state election in nineteen hundred and forty, and in every fourth year thereafter, two county commissioners for said county, and at the biennial state election in nineteen hundred and forty-two, and in every fourth year thereafter, one county commissioner for said county, and in addition at each biennial state election such number of county commissioners as may be required to be chosen under section one hundred and forty-four to fill vacancies.
Not more than one of the county commissioners shall be chosen from the same city or town. If two persons residing in the same city or town shall appear to have been chosen to said offices, only the person receiving the larger number of votes shall be declared elected; but if they shall receive an equal number of votes, no person shall be declared elected. If a person residing in a city or town where a county commissioner who is to remain in office also resides, shall appear to have been chosen, he shall not be declared elected. If the person is not declared elected by reason of the above provisions, the person receiving the next highest number of votes for the office, and who resides in another city or town, shall be declared elected.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 162 - Regional District School Committees Members

Section 162. At the biennial state elections, members of regional district school committees elected at district-wide elections shall be chosen by the voters in each such district. The length of such terms of office shall be determined by the regional school districts; provided, however, that such terms shall not exceed four years.