reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 32 - Examination and Approval of Voting Equipment

Section 32. The state secretary shall examine all types of voting equipment including ballot boxes, counting apparatus, and voting machines and determine whether such equipment complies with the minimum requirements for such equipment imposed by law and whether the use of such equipment would further the efficient administration of elections.
Any person owning or interested in such equipment may submit it to the state secretary for examination. For the purpose of assistance in examining such new equipment, the secretary, subject to appropriation, may employ not more than three individuals who are experts in one or more of the fields of data processing, mechanical engineering and public administration.
Within thirty days after completing the examination and approval of any such equipment the state secretary shall make and file in his office his report on the equipment together with a written or printed description and drawings and photographs clearly identifying the equipment. As soon as practicable after such filing, the state secretary upon request shall send a copy of the report to any governing body within the state.
Any voting equipment that receives the approval of the state secretary may be used for conducting elections. Any voting equipment that does not receive such approval shall not be adopted for or used at any election. After such equipment has been approved by the state secretary, any change or improvement in the equipment that does not impair its accuracy, efficiency or capacity shall not render necessary a reexamination or reapproval of the equipment.
All voting equipment being used upon the effective date of this act shall within twelve months of said effective date be submitted to the state secretary for his approval. Within twenty-four months of the effective date of this act the secretary shall approve or disapprove of such equipment and promulgate uniform regulations for such equipment in accordance with section thirty-seven.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33 - Requirements and Use of Voting Machines, Electronic Voting Systems, and Ballots

Section 33. Voting machines shall furnish convenient, simple and satisfactory means of voting at primaries and elections and of ascertaining and recording the true result thereof with facility and accuracy, special regard being given to the prevention and detection of double voting at primaries and elections and of voting for candidates of more than one political party at a primary; but no machine shall be approved which does not secure to the voter as much secrecy in voting as is afforded by the use of the official ballot. Ballot boxes shall have sufficient locks and keys or seal fastenings, and shall contain mechanical devices for receiving and registering every ballot deposited therein; but no such box shall record any distinguishing number or mark upon a ballot. No machine, ballot box or counting apparatus, not approved in accordance with this and the preceding section, shall be used at any election, primary or caucus; nor shall any such machines, ballot boxes or counting apparatus be used except in accordance with the laws relating to primaries and elections.
On voting machines which provide adequate mechanical safeguards, the names of candidates and the questions to be submitted to the voters may be arranged in the same manner as on the official paper ballot. On all other voting machines to be used at state elections the names of the candidates for each office shall be arranged in a horizontal row or vertical column under or opposite to the titles of the offices, to be determined in accordance with the type of mechanical safeguard against over-voting used in the particular machine. At state primaries separate voting machines may be used for the listing of names of candidates of each of the political parties; provided, that the number of machines to be used for each such party in each polling place shall be determined by the city or town clerk or election commissioners and notice of such determination shall be sent to the state secretary not later than one hundred and twenty days preceding the date of the primary.
Electronic voting systems shall furnish convenient and simple means of voting at primaries, preliminary elections and elections, and of ascertaining and recording the results thereof with facility and accuracy, special regard being given to the prevention and detection of double voting, or of voting for candidates of more than one political party at a primary; but no system shall be approved which does not secure to the voter as much secrecy in voting as is afforded by the use of the official ballot.
At primaries, separate marking units, where necessary, may be used for the marking of the ballots of each party, as determined by the city or town clerk.
The arrangement of names and questions on voting machines and on ballots or ballot labels used in electronic voting systems shall be, in general, the same as on the official ballot, except as hereinbefore provided.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33a - Additional Requirements for Voting Machines

Section 33A. Voting machines shall be provided with convenient spaces, which shall be specified and described on the cards of instructions, where the name of a person may be written in or a paster or sticker affixed by a voter who desires to vote for a person whose name does not appear on the voting machine. They shall be suitably lighted so that the voter will be able to easily read the titles of the offices, the names of the candidates and the questions submitted to the voters. The machines shall be equipped with proper devices or locks to prevent any operation of the machine before of after the voting, and with the following counters or indicators:—A ''Public Counter'', which shall mean the counter or other device that registers each time the machine is operated during the election and shows the number of persons who have voted thereon, a ''Protective Counter'', which shall mean the device or counter which registers the grand total of times that the machine has been operated, a ''Candidate Counter'', which shall mean the counters on which are registered numerically the votes cast for candidates, a ''Question Counter'', which shall mean the counters upon which are registered numerically the votes cast on questions submitted to the voters, and the ''Vote Indicators'', which shall mean the pointers or other devices upon which are registered the votes for candidates or on questions submitted to voters. Voting machines which contain electronic components need not be equipped with a protective counter, and, instead of candidate and question counters, may be equipped with internal components which register votes electronically. All voting machines used in primary elections shall be so equipped that the election officers can adjust the machines to prevent voters from voting for candidates of any party in which they are not enrolled.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33b - Use of Voting Machines; Regulations; Mechanical Failures

Section 33B. During the period the polls are open for voting, the exterior of the voting machine shall remain in plain view of the election officers. If so requested, an election officer shall instruct voters outside the guard rail in the manner of operating the machine. When the name of a voter has been checked on the voting list, as required by sections sixty-seven and seventy-six, and he is found to be qualified to vote, he shall be given a voter's authority certificate and admitted within the guard rail. Before entering a machine, the voter shall hand his voter's authority certificate to the officer in charge of the machine, who shall deposit it in the receptacle provided therefor and shall then release the machine to permit the voter to close the curtain and cast his ballot. Except as otherwise provided in section seventy-nine, during the voting no officer shall be, nor permit any other person to be, in any position to see or learn how any voter is voting or has voted. The election officer attending the machine shall from time to time inspect the face of the machine to see that neither the ballot labels nor the voting indicators have been tampered with or injured. During the election the doors of the counter compartment shall not be unlocked or opened. If through mechanical failure a machine ceases to function, it shall be inspected and put in working order, if possible, by the custodian of voting machines, designated under section thirty A, in the presence of two election officers of different political parties, who shall make and sign a statement setting forth the cause of the failure of the machine to properly operate and such statement shall be filed with the election returns. If the machine cannot be put in working order, it shall be placed out of service for that election and a statement that the machine is out of order shall be signed by the election officers and filed with the election returns.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33c - Instructions to Voter After Entering Voting Machine Booth; Re-Entry After Voting

Section 33C. If any voter, after he has enclosed himself in the voting machine booth, or in a compartment which contains a marking unit, wherever electronic voting systems are used, shall ask for further instructions concerning the manner of operating the machine or marking unit, two election officers of different political parties shall given him such instructions. No officer or person instructing him shall in any manner request or seek to persuade or induce any such voter to vote for any candidate or candidates, or for or against any question submitted to the voters. After giving such instructions, and before such voter shall have registered his vote, the officers or persons instructing him shall retire, and such voter shall then register his vote as he may desire. No voter after registering his vote and emerging from the machine booth or the marking compartment shall be permitted to reenter it.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33d - Voting for Persons Not Listed on Ballot Labels of Machine

Section 33D. Every vote cast for any person whose name does not appear on the ballot labels of the machine as a nominated candidate for office shall be written or affixed or enclosed on or in the appropriate place on the machine provided for that purpose, or it shall not be counted.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33f - Computers and Counting Units; Central Tabulation Centers; Preparation; Testing

Section 33F. If the system employed makes use of a computer, or similar counting unit for the tabulation of the vote cast either on paper ballots or punched cards, the city or town clerk shall designate, no later than one week prior to the date of the primary, preliminary election or election, a central tabulation center, or may designate all the polling places as tabulation centers, where such ballots or cards shall be counted. There shall be at least one computer or counting unit at each such tabulation center. If a central tabulation center is designated, it may be located in any municipality within the commonwealth; provided, however, that said tabulation center is no greater distance than fifty miles from the municipality conducting said primary, preliminary election, or election. Said clerk shall also require that a program for the counting of the votes, prepared by a suitably skilled technician, be in readiness for use in said computer or counting unit, no later than the fourth day prior to the primary, preliminary election or election. Said clerk shall cause to be prepared a set of ballots or punched cards, whichever is appropriate, so marked or perforated as to adequately test the programmed computer or counting unit, to demonstrate its rejection of cards or ballots which contain more votes for any office than the voter is entitled to, and to test any other contents of the program which in the opinion of the clerk may have a bearing upon the accuracy of the count to be made by such computer or counting unit.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 units are leased or purchased by a city or town, the manufacturer or distributor of such units shall give to the city or town clerk a bond, with sufficient sureties, to keep such units in working order for at least two calendar years from the date of lease or purchase. Said manufacturer or distributor shall also give to said clerk a bond, with sufficient sureties, conditioned to defend and indemnify the city or town leasing the units against any suit at law or in equity and for any expense, damage or inconvenience which they may incur or suffer by reason of any suit brought against them for infringement of patents or other rights arising from the lease or use of such units.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33h - Election Officers for Tabulation Center; Tabulation of Votes

Section 33H. For any tabulation center designated under section thirty-three F, the mayor or the board of selectmen shall appoint, in conformity with sections eleven to twenty-two, inclusive, the following election officers: a warden, a deputy warden, a clerk and deputy clerk and as many inspectors and deputy inspectors as the city or town clerk determines to be necessary.
Each city or town chairman of a political party may appoint in writing a qualified computer expert to monitor the electronic counting of ballots at such tabulating center. He shall be assigned by the presiding officer to a position within the center which will enable him to observe all operations.
The warden shall be the presiding officer at the tabulation center; provided, however, that the city or town clerk shall be the presiding officer at a central tabulation center, and shall assign to the election officers such duties as will insure the accurate and complete tabulation of the ballots, in accordance with such rules and regulations for the operation of such tabulation center as are promulgated by the office of the state secretary.
Each precinct shall be tabulated separately. The sheet showing the result, as printed by the computer or tabulating unit, shall be fastened to the precinct record for transmittal to the office of the city or town clerk, and the warden and clerk shall be responsible for said sheet and shall each sign it. Each precinct tabulation sheet shall show the total number of names checked on the voting lists, the total number of ballots cast, the names of all persons voted for, the number of votes for each person and the title of the office for which he was a candidate, the number of blank ballots for each office and the number of affirmative and negative votes in answer to any question submitted to the voters. The machine record shall be added to the precinct record sheet showing hand-counted ballot totals, and the precinct record sheet shall then be signed by the precinct warden and clerk. The presiding officer at the tabulation center, or such election officer as he shall designate, shall then publicly and in the presence of the other election officers, audibly and distinctly, announce the number of votes cast for each candidate for each office, and the number of affirmative and negative votes cast upon any question. Such announcement may be made for each precinct, as soon as the precinct record has been completed.
Any ballot or card which is rejected by the computer or counting unit, or which is mutilated so that it cannot be inserted in the computer or counting unit, shall be counted by hand by two inspectors of different political parties, and the result of the count of all such ballots shall be entered separately on the precinct record sheet, and added to the machine tabulated totals and the absentee ballot and other totals thereon. No such rejected or mutilated ballot shall be repunched for inserting into the computer or tabulating unit.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 33i - Examination of Electronic Poll Books; Compliance With Minimum Requirements; Approval for Use in Elections

Section 33I. (a) The state secretary shall examine all types of electronic poll books and determine whether such equipment complies with the minimum requirements for such equipment imposed by regulation promulgated by the state secretary and whether the use of such equipment would further the efficient administration of elections.
(b) Any person owning or interested in such equipment may submit it to the state secretary for examination. For the purpose of assistance in examining such new equipment, the state secretary may, subject to appropriation, employ the services of technical experts.
(c) Any electronic poll book that receives the approval of the state secretary may be used for conducting elections. Any electronic poll book that does not receive such approval shall not be adopted for or used at any election. After such equipment has been approved by the state secretary, any change or improvement in the equipment that does not impair its accuracy, efficiency or capacity shall not render necessary a reexamination or reapproval of the equipment.
(d) A city or town may vote to use approved electronic poll books by a vote of the board of selectmen or town council in a town or city council in a city taken at least 60 days before the first election at which such equipment is to be used. Notification of use of an approved electronic poll book shall be sent to the state secretary within 5 days after the vote.
(e) The state secretary shall promulgate regulations for the certification process, standards, including security, and use of electronic poll books at a polling place or early voting location.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 34 - Use of Voting Machines by Cities and Towns

Section 34. A city or town may, by vote of a majority of the city council or by vote of a majority of the board of selectmen, at a meeting held at least one hundred and twenty days before the primary, preliminary election or election at which voting machines are to be used, determine upon and purchase, lease, or lease with an option to purchase, one or more voting machines approved as provided in section thirty-two, and order the use thereof at primaries, preliminary elections and elections of state, city or town officers in such city or town; and thereafter at all primaries and elections of state, city or town officers in that city or town, until otherwise ordered by the city council in a city and the selectmen in a town, said machines shall be used at primaries and preliminary elections and for voting for the officers to be elected at such elections and for taking the vote upon questions submitted to the voters. Notice of such determination to use voting machines, or to discontinue the use thereof, shall be sent to the state secretary by the city or town clerk within five days after such determination; provided, however, that no such discontinuance shall take place later than ninety days prior to a state or presidential primary or state election, nor later than thirty days prior to a city or town primary, preliminary election or election at which it is to become effective.
A city or town may, by vote of a majority of the city council or by vote of a majority of the board of selectmen, at a meeting held not later than one hundred and twenty days prior to a state or presidential primary or state election, and not later than sixty days prior to a municipal primary, preliminary election or election at which an electronic voting system is first to be used, determine upon the use of, and may lease, purchase, or lease with an option to purchase, the marking units or automatic tabulating equipment necessary to any electronic voting system approved for use in the commonwealth in accordance with section thirty-two. Thereafter, at all primaries, preliminary elections and elections held in said city or town, until otherwise ordered by vote of the city council in a city or of the selectmen in a town, said electronic voting system shall be used in those polling places designated by the city council or board of selectmen.
Notice of determination to use an approved electronic voting system, or to discontinue its use, shall be sent to the state secretary by the city or town clerk within five days after such determination; provided, however, that no such discontinuance shall take place later than ninety days prior to a state or presidential primary or state election, nor later than thirty days prior to a city or town primary, preliminary election or election at which it is to become effective; and, provided further, that no such discontinuance shall prevent the state secretary from selecting appropriate voting machines and vote tally systems pursuant to section thirty-two.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 ballots cast by challenged voters, and absent voting ballots cast at elections where such voting is permitted by law, shall be deposited in ballot boxes provided in accordance with law. For such polling places, the state secretary or the city or town clerk, as the case may be, shall prepare for the use of voters voting in person whose right to vote is challenged official absent voting ballots, marked ''Challenged Ballots'' in large type on the back thereof, when folded. Any such official absent voting ballot so used shall be an official ballot, as such term is used in section thirty-five B. When the state secretary shall determine that it is not feasible for the summary of any question or questions submitted to the people to appear on the voting machine, he shall prepare separate sheets of paper containing such summary and provide such sheets for each polling place, to be used by the voters casting their votes on the voting machine, and one such sheet shall be furnished to each voter as he prepares to cast his vote by the use of such a machine.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 36 - Number of Election Officers Present When Voting Machines Used

Section 36. In any election when voting machines are used in any polling place in any city or town, the number of election officers in such polling place may be less than six in the discretion of the board, body or official in which or in whom the authority to determine the number of election officers in such polling place is vested by law, subject to section thirteen.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 37 - Regulations for Use of Voting Machines, Ballot Boxes, Etc.

Section 37. The state secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the approval of voting equipment under section thirty-two.
The state secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the contents, form, character and kind of ballots, ballot labels, ballot cards, formats, records, papers and documents and other materials and supplies and procedures necessary in the use of any voting equipment approved in accordance with section thirty-two and in the process of counting and tabulating the ballots.
The state secretary shall prescribe by regulation approved methods of voting such as paper ballot voting, machine voting and electronic voting.
The state secretary shall prescribe rules and regulations to achieve and maintain the maximum degree of accuracy, impartiality and efficiency on the procedures of voting and of counting, tabulating and recording votes.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 39 - Seller's Bonds; Electronic Voting Systems, Voting Machines or Ballot Boxes

Section 39. When an electronic voting system, voting machines or ballot boxes are purchased by the commonwealth or by a city or town, the persons of whom the purchase is made shall give to the state secretary, city or town clerk or election commissioners, as the case may be, a bond with sufficient sureties to keep such system, machines or ballot boxes in working order for two years. Such persons shall also give a bond with sufficient sureties, conditioned to defend and indemnify the commonwealth or cities and towns purchasing, leasing or using the system, machines or ballot boxes against any legal action and for any expense, damage or inconvenience which they may incur or suffer by reason of any suit brought against them for infringement of patents or other rights, arising from the purchase, lease, or use of such system, machines or ballot boxes.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 40 - Preparation and Furnishing

Section 40. All ballots for use in elections of state officers shall be prepared and furnished by the state secretary, and all ballots for use in elections of city or town officers, by the city or town clerk. Ballots for use in an electronic voting system shall be in a form approved by the state secretary under sections thirty-two and thirty-seven.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 41a - Governor and Lieutenant Governor Candidates; Grouping Party Nominees; Order

Section 41A. The surnames of candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall be placed upon the official ballot for use at state elections in groups, according to their political party or designation; except, in the case where two candidates have the same surname, then christian names and addresses as they appear on the voting list for each candidate, shall be placed on the ballot. On the right of each such group shall appear a square in which the voter may designate by a cross (X) his choice. The placing of such a cross in the square shall constitute a vote for the candidate for governor and a vote for the candidate for lieutenant governor so designated. The order of the various groups on the ballot shall be determined as follows:—The group in which appears the name of a candidate for governor who is an elected incumbent shall be placed first, except as provided in section thirty-three. Next in order shall appear the groups of candidates of political parties, arranged alphabetically in accordance with the surnames of the candidates for governor, and all other groups of candidates for such offices shall follow, in like order.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 42a - Questions Submitted to Voters; Designation

Section 42A. The state secretary and the city or town clerks shall cause each question appearing upon ballots prepared by them to be designated as follows: Questions submitted to the people under Article XLVIII of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth shall appear first in order upon the ballot numbered consecutively, and the first such question so appearing shall be designated by the numeral 1; additional questions shall follow numbered so that all questions appearing upon such ballot shall be numbered consecutively; provided, however, that the fair, concise summary of any measure submitted to the voters under the provisions of said Article XLVIII shall be accompanied on the ballot by the one sentence statement describing the effect of a yes or no vote, prepared as required in section 53. The questions required to be placed upon the official ballot at a biennial state election by section eleven of chapter one hundred and thirty-eight shall be numbered as a single question having three parts, and the questions required to be placed upon the official ballot at such an election by section fourteen of chapter one hundred and twenty-eight A shall be numbered as a single question having two parts.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 42c - Deadline for Ballot Questions

Section 42C. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary establishing a later time, the state secretary shall not print on the biennial state election ballot any question to the voters for which he receives final written notice after the sixtieth day before said election. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary establishing a later time, a city or town clerk shall not print on a city or town election ballot any question to the voters for which he receives final written notice after the thirty-fifth day before such election.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 43 - Presidential Electors; Arrangement of Names

Section 43. The names of the candidates for presidential electors shall not be printed on the ballot, but in lieu thereof the surnames of the candidates of each party for president and vice president shall be printed thereon in one line under the designation ''Electors of president and vice president'' and arranged in the alphabetical order of the surnames of the candidates for president, with the political designation of the party placed at the right of and in the same line with the surnames. A sufficient square in which each voter may designate by a cross (X) his choice for electors shall be left at the right of each political designation.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 of the following offices are to be voted for, such offices shall appear on ballots and on ballot labels on voting machines in the following order consecutively:—Presidential elector, senator in congress, governor and lieutenant governor, as a group at a state election, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and receiver general, auditor, congressman, councillor, senator and representative in the general court; all other offices to be voted for shall immediately follow said offices consecutively, in such order as the secretary of state may determine; and on ballots, and on ballot labels on voting machines on which the names of the candidates of each political party are arranged in a vertical row, questions to the voters shall follow all of said offices, in such order as the secretary of state may determine.
On ballot labels on voting machines used at state elections and primaries there shall be a space separating the names of the candidates for the office of senator in congress from the names of the candidates for the office of governor, which space shall be not less than one inch in width horizontally when the names of the candidates of each political party are arranged in a horizontal row or one inch in depth vertically when the names of the candidates of each political party are arranged in a vertical row.
On ballots at state elections at which the office of presidential elector is to be voted for, said office shall appear on the ballot in the first column at the left side thereof and the office of senator in congress, if any is to be voted for, shall appear in the same column beneath said office of presidential elector; on ballots at state election and primaries at which the office of presidential elector is not to be voted for, the office of senator in congress, if any is to be voted for, shall appear in the first column at the left side thereof, the groups of candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall follow. If neither of the offices of presidential elector or senator in congress is to be voted for, the groups of candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall appear on the ballot at the top of the first column at the left of the ballot.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 44 - Official Ballots

Section 44. The official ballots shall, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, be of ordinary white printing paper, of two or more pages, and shall, before distribution, be so folded as to measure not less than four and one half nor more than five inches in width and not less than six nor more than thirteen and one half inches in length. The names of all candidates shall be printed in black ink in lines at a right angle with the length of the ballot. The names of all candidates shall be in capital letters not less than one eighth nor more than one quarter of an inch in height, except that surnames and political designations of the candidates for president and vice president and the names of the candidates for the office of senator in congress shall be in capital letters not less than three sixteenths of an inch in height.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 45 - Number of Ballots Provided; Ballot Labels for Voting Machines

Section 45. One set of ballots, not less than one for each registered voter, shall be provided for each polling place at which an election for state, city or town officers is to be held. The state secretary or the city or town clerk, as the case may be, may provide a duplicate set of ballots for any polling place when he deems it necessary.
Where voting machines or electronic voting systems are used, the state secretary or the city or town clerk, as the case may be, shall provide sets of ballot labels equal to at least one and one half sets for each such machine or marking unit, provided that at least two sets are provided for each precinct. Official ballots shall also be furnished where voting machines are used, in accordance with section thirty-five A.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 47 - Vacancies; Printing Ballots

Section 47. If a vacancy occurs or is declared in the list of nominations, by reason of death or ineligibility, the name of the candidate nominated to fill such vacancy shall, if the ballots have not been printed, be placed on them or, if the ballots have been printed, ballots containing the new nomination shall, when practicable, be substituted.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 48 - Cards of Instruction; Specimen Ballots; Copies of Information for Voters Material

Section 48. The state secretary in state elections, city clerks in city elections, and town clerks in town elections at which official ballots are used, shall, for every such election, prepare and cause to be printed in large clear type cards containing full instructions to voters for obtaining ballots, marking them, obtaining assistance and new ballots in place of those accidentally spoiled; and on separate cards such abstracts of the laws imposing penalties upon voters as they shall deem proper. They shall also provide for each polling place ten or more specimen ballots which shall be facsimiles of the ballots provided for voting, but printed without the endorsements and on colored paper. For each polling place where voting machines are used they shall also provide ten voting machine sample ballots which shall be facsimiles of the face of the voting machine as it will appear when set up for use. For each polling place where an electronic voting system is used they shall also provide ten marking unit sample ballots which shall be facsimiles of the booklet, page or ballot display contained in the marking units, printed on one sheet, in a manner suitable for posting. For state elections the state secretary shall supply to each polling place at least one for every one hundred voters thereof copies of the information for voters material provided for in section fifty-four.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 48a - Voters' Bill of Rights; Postings; Preparation and Revision

Section 48A. The state secretary shall provide a voters' bill of rights, which shall summarize appropriate election laws of the United States and the commonwealth as the state secretary determines, in a form suitable for posting for every polling place for every election. The state secretary shall also include the voters' bill of rights in appropriate publications of the state secretary and on the electronic website of the state secretary, and shall transmit copies of the voters' bill of rights to state and municipal offices where citizens register to vote, including but not limited to the offices of city and town registrars of voters, offices of city and town clerks, and offices of the registry of motor vehicles.
The state secretary shall prepare the voters' bill of rights after consulting the joint committee on election laws of the general court, and the state secretary shall revise it to reflect changes in the election laws of the United States and the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 49 - Lists of Candidates; Copies of Proposed Constitutional Amendments or Laws

Section 49. The state secretary, at least five days before state elections, shall transmit to the city or town clerk printed lists of the names, residences and designations of candidates to be voted for at each polling place, substantially in the form of the official ballot, and also printed copies of any proposed amendment to the constitution, law, or proposed law, to be submitted to the people. Upon the receipt thereof the city or town clerk shall conspicuously post in not less than three public places in each ward of a city, or in each town, or in towns divided into voting precincts in each precinct, the lists and copies aforesaid for such ward, town or precinct.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 51 - Town Elections; Posting Names of Candidates

Section 51. In towns using official ballots the town clerk, at least four days before an election therein, shall cause to be posted in one or more public places the names, residences and designations of all candidates duly nominated to be voted for in the town, substantially in the form of the official ballot.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 make available a list of all candidates to be voted for. He shall also print with said lists the form of any question to be submitted to the voters. Such lists shall be public records and one copy shall be sent to every newspaper in the commonwealth listed in the Directory of New England Newspapers and Periodicals, to be used at the discretion of said newspapers. Before every city election, city clerks shall make available a list of all candidates to be voted for in their respective cities, and the form of any question to be submitted to the voters at such election. Such lists shall be public records and one copy shall be sent to every newspaper listed in the Directory of New England Newspapers and Periodicals, located in such city, to be used at the discretion of said newspapers.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 54 - Arguments on Measures; Preparation; Submission, Filing; Printing; Mailing

Section 54. The state secretary shall cause to be printed and sent, in the manner provided in section fifty-three, arguments for and against every measure to be submitted to the voters of the commonwealth. No argument shall contain more than one hundred and fifty words. The secretary shall seek such arguments from the principal proponents and opponents of each initiative or referendum petition, legislative amendment, legislative substitute or other measure to be submitted to all the voters of the commonwealth and such arguments may be filed on or before the tenth day following the date that any such measure is finally received by the secretary for submission to the voters or within such further time as he shall designate. For purposes of this section, the principal proponents and opponents of a measure shall be those persons determined by the secretary to be best able to present the argument for and against the measure, respectively, at the time the measure is finally received by the secretary for submission to the voters, provided that the principal proponents of an initiative or referendum petition shall be the first ten signers of such petition, or a majority of them. In determining the principal proponents and opponents of a measure, the state secretary shall contact each nonelected political committee which is organized under the provision of chapter fifty-five and which is on file with the director of campaign and political finance to influence the outcome of such a measure. If no argument is received by the secretary from the principal proponents or opponents of a measure within the time allowed by this section, the secretary shall prepare such argument. All arguments filed with or prepared by the secretary under this section shall be open to public inspection.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › 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 for acceptance to the voters of a city or town, is to be placed on the ballot at any election, the city or town clerk shall place it on the ballot in the following form:—
''Shall this (city or town) accept the provisions of section (here insert section number) of chapter (here insert chapter number) of the General Laws, a fair and concise summary of which appears below?''
(Set forth here a fair, concise summary and purpose of the law to be acted upon, as determined by the city solicitor or town counsel, as the case may be.) If a majority of the voters voting on said question vote in the affirmative, then said provisions shall take effect in said city or town, but not otherwise.
The provisions of this section relative to the form of submitting for acceptance to the voters of a city or town of any provision of the General Laws shall not apply to the submission for acceptance of any provision of the General Laws in which or in the act creating such provision there is set forth the form in which the question of the acceptance shall be submitted to the voters.
The final date for notifying, or filing a petition with, the city or town clerk or the state secretary to place such a question on the ballot shall be, if no final date is otherwise provided, thirty-five days before the city or town election or sixty days before the state election.
The provisions of this section, including the provision for a fair, concise summary determined by the city solicitor or town counsel, shall also apply whenever any special act is submitted for acceptance to the voters of a city or town, except to the extent that the special act expressly provides otherwise.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 59 - Packaging and Delivery to City or Town Clerks

Section 59. Ballots for state elections shall be enclosed in a package by the state secretary, sealed and marked with the number of ballots of each kind therein, and specimen ballots, cards of instruction, cards containing abstracts of the laws imposing penalties upon voters, and copies of any measure to be submitted to the people shall be enclosed in another package, and the whole shall be further enclosed in a single package with marks on the outside indicating its contents and the polling place for which it is intended, and transmitted to city and town clerks, so as to be received at least twelve hours before the date of election. The clerks shall return receipts therefor to the secretary. He shall keep a record of the time when and the manner in which the several packages are transmitted, and shall preserve the receipts therefor for one year.
The clerk of each city and of each town using official ballots shall enclose the ballots, specimen ballots, cards of instruction and cards containing abstracts of the laws imposing penalties upon voters for city or town elections in the same manner.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 60 - Duties of City and Town Clerks; Delivery to Polls; Receipts

Section 60. The city or town clerk, on the day of every state or city election, before the opening of the polls, shall transmit to the election officers of each polling place therein, all things mentioned in the preceding section which have been provided for such polling place; and the presiding election officer at the polling place shall receipt therefor to the clerk, and such receipt, with a record of the number of ballots transmitted, shall be kept in the clerk's office for one year. At town elections, the town clerk shall, on the day of the election, before the opening of the polls, deliver the ballots at the polling place to the ballot clerks, who shall receipt therefor, and their receipt shall be preserved in the office of the clerk for one year. If a moderator presides at such election, no such ballots shall be delivered to voters until he has been chosen. The town clerk shall also deliver the specimen ballots, cards of instruction and cards containing abstracts of the laws imposing penalties upon voters at the same time and place. No ballots or specimen ballots shall be delivered by city or town clerks except as provided herein and in section thirty-five A.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VIII - Elections › Chapter 54 - Elections › Section 61 - Failure to Deliver; Substitute Ballots

Section 61. If the ballots provided for any polling place are not delivered, or if after delivery they are destroyed or stolen, the city or town clerk shall cause similar ballots to be prepared; and upon receipt of such new ballots, accompanied by a statement by him on oath that they have been so prepared and transmitted by him, and that the original ballots have not been delivered or have been so destroyed or stolen, the ballots so substituted shall be used.