Best bet
Elections Division, Mass. Secretary of State.
Everything you need to know about the elections process, including:
Massachusetts laws
MGL c. 10, § 42 State election campaign fund
MGL c. 50 Elections, general provisions
MGL c. 51 Voters and registration
MGL c. 52 Political committees
MGL c. 53 Nominations, primaries, initiatives
MGL c. 54 Wards, voting districts and voting
MGL c. 55 Campaign finance and disclosure
MGL c. 56 Violations of election laws
MGL c. 149, § 178 Time off to vote
St. 2010, c. 229 An act relative to the agreement among the states to elect the president by national popular vote (National popular vote compact)
An agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to guarantee the presidency to the candidate who wins the popular vote. The compact would go into effect when the participating states have a total of 270 electoral votes.
Massachusetts regulations
950 CMR 46-60 Elections & voting
970 CMR Campaign finance
Federal laws
U.S. Code, Title 52 Voting and elections
18 U.S. Code Chapter 29 Elections and political activities (Crimes relating to)
Federal regulations
CFR, Title 11 Federal elections
Selected cases
Political parties
Changing political parties, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division.
"[Y]ou may change your enrollment status by notifying your election official in writing at least 10 days before an election."
Directory of political parties and designations, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division.
Election Advisory #24-02: Electioneering and Signature Gathering within 150 Feet of Voting Locations, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division (2024).
Discusses prohibited actions at polling locations, including “Wearing certain political apparel (t-shirts, hats, buttons, pins, stickers, etc.).”
Web sources
Are cell phones/electronic devices allowed at polling locations? Cities and towns may have rules about using electronic devices at polling locations. Please contact your local election office for information.
Election results archive (PD43+), Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division.
A searchable database of Massachusetts historical and recent election results and statistics.
Federal Election Commission
Administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. Includes a searchable database of who is giving what to whom and guidance in satisfying filing requirements.
Mass. Office of Campaign and Political Finance
Includes forms and guidance for filing under the campaign finance law. Provides instructions for obtaining public documents from the office.
Vote.gov
Answers common questions and explains voting rights for people who: are college students; are new U.S. citizens; have a disability; are unhoused; have a felony conviction; are part of the military; are citizens living outside the U.S.
Voting & elections toolkits, American Library Association.
Reference guides with information on all aspects of voting and elections for each state, including Massachusetts. Includes information on voting rights, voter registration, polling places, valid forms of ID, absentee and early voting, overseas voters, state ballot measures, and much more.
If you are a U.S. citizen applying for or renewing a driver's license or state ID at the RMV, or applying for health insurance through MassHealth or the Commonwealth Health Connecter, you will be automatically registered to vote, unless you opt out of registering.
State ballot question petitions, Mass. Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division, January 2023.
How to get a question on the ballot.
Time off to vote
Voting and elections law and history, USA.gov.
Presidential election process, Voting and election history, Voter ID requirements, Voting and election laws.
Voting as an ex-offender, Nonprofit Vote.org.
Information on eligibility to vote and restoration of voting rights for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Print sources
America votes! : a guide to modern election law and voting rights, American Bar Association, 2020.
Election law in a nutshell, West Group, 2017.
The law of democracy: legal structure of the political process, West Academic, 2022.
Massachusetts election administration, campaign finance and lobbying law, MCLE, 2020.
Principles of the law, election administration, non-precinct voting and resolution of ballot-counting disputes / as adopted and promulgated by the American Law Institute at Washington, D.C., May 16, 2016; May 22, 2017. St. Paul, MN : American Law Institute Publishers, 2019.
Contact for Massachusetts law about elections and voting
Online
| Last updated: | November 6, 2024 |
|---|