General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 51 Voters

• Massachusetts General Laws - Qualifications of voters - Chapter 51, Section 1
  Every citizen eighteen years of age or older, not being a person under guardianship or incarcerated in a correctional facility due to a felony conviction,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec. 2 - Chapter 51, Section 1A
  Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1966, 367, Sec. 2 - Chapter 51, Section 1B
  Repealed, 1966, 367, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1962, 437, Sec. 3 - Chapter 51, Section 1C 1D
  Repealed, 1962, 437, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec. 3 - Chapter 51, Section 1E
  Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Persons not included in register of voters - Chapter 51, Section 1F
  A person who resides in the commonwealth and in the city or town where he claims the right to vote in an election at which...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Name of registered voter changed - Chapter 51, Section 2
  A registered voter who chooses to adopt a new name shall continue to be registered in his former name until June first of the following...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Place of registration and voting; change of residence - Chapter 51, Section 3
  For all elections and primaries held prior to June first in any year, a person shall be registered and may vote in the ward or...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Making of lists by registrars or boards - Chapter 51, Section 4
  (a) Registrars, assistant registrars, or boards having similar duties under any general or special law, except in the city of Boston, shall annually in January...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Notifying residents of opportunity to register - Chapter 51, Section 4A
  During the course of the annual listing of residents, the registrars shall notify residents of the opportunity to register as voters and shall provide residents...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1963, 160, Sec. 5 - Chapter 51, Section 5
  Repealed, 1963, 160, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Street lists - Chapter 51, Section 6
  Except in any city or town as to which it is otherwise provided by special law, the registrars on or before April fifteenth in each...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Form, contents and distribution of street lists - Chapter 51, Section 7
  On the lists prepared under section six for delivery to public officers, the registrars shall name or designate all buildings used as residences, in their...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Persons omitted from lists; certificate - Chapter 51, Section 8
  If a resident in a city or town, except one as to which it is otherwise provided by special law, who is required to be...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1973, 1137, Sec. 1 - Chapter 51, Section 9
  Repealed, 1973, 1137, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1943, 453, Sec. 14 - Chapter 51, Section 10
  Repealed, 1943, 453, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Statements by innholders, etc. - Chapter 51, Section 10A
  Every innholder licensed under any provision of chapter one hundred and forty and every keeper of a lodging house or public lodging house licensed thereunder,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1943, 320, Sec. 1 - Chapter 51, Section 10B
  Repealed, 1943, 320, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Records kept - Chapter 51, Section 11
  The registrars, except in any city or town as to which it is otherwise provided by special law, shall enter the name and residence of...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Posting of penalty sections - Chapter 51, Section 12
  In all registration agencies and other government offices where voter registration is conducted, there shall be posted in a conspicuous place a legible copy of...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1943, 453, Sec. 15 - Chapter 51, Section 13
  Repealed, 1943, 453, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Death of resident; notice - Chapter 51, Section 14
  The city or town clerk or other officer having charge of the registration of deaths in each city or town shall, on the first day...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Assistance in making lists - Chapter 51, Section 14A
  In the making of lists under sections four to fourteen, inclusive, the registrars, except in the city of Boston, may, with the approval of the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Applicability of chapter to cities and towns governed by special law - Chapter 51, Section 14B
  In cities and towns in which the duty of listing residents for the purposes of determining their right to vote is performed by officers other...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Board of registrars in certain cities and towns; appointment; term of office - Chapter 51, Section 15
  Except as provided in section seventeen, there shall be in every city, other than one having a board of election commissioners or an election commission,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1959, 127, Sec. 1 - Chapter 51, Section 16
  Repealed, 1959, 127, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Board of election commissioners; powers and duties; members; appointment; term of office - Chapter 51, Section 16A
  In every city except Cambridge and every town which accepts this section in the manner hereinafter provided, there shall be a board of election commissioners,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Board of registrars in certain cities; appointment; term of office - Chapter 51, Section 17
  In every city, other than one having a board of election commissioners or an election commission, which, by vote of the city council, approved by...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Annual training on state and federal election laws and regulations - Chapter 51, Section 17A
  [ Text of section added by 2014, 111, Sec. 2 effective May 22, 2014.] In each municipality, the city or town clerk and a registrar...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Political representation by board of registrars - Chapter 51, Section 18
  In the original and in each succeeding appointment and in filling vacancies, registrars of voters shall be so appointed that the members of the board...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Unequal political representation; notice and hearing - Chapter 51, Section 19
  If, upon written complaint to the mayor or to the selectmen, it shall appear, after notice and hearing, that the city or town clerk, when...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Vacancies in board of registrars; temporary registrars - Chapter 51, Section 20
  If there is a vacancy in the board of registrars caused by death, resignation or retirement or if a member of the board of registrars...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registrars; term of office - Chapter 51, Section 21
  Each registrar shall, unless sooner removed, hold his office for the term for which he is appointed and until his successor is qualified.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Assistant registrars in cities and towns; appointment; term; political representation - Chapter 51, Section 22
  The registrars in cities and towns may appoint assistant registrars for the term of one year, beginning with April first, unless sooner removed by the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Absent registration officers; appointment; political representation; physically disabled registrants - Chapter 51, Section 22A
  In every city and town the registrars of voters may, before every election at which absent voting is permitted, appoint a sufficient number of absent...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registrars, assistant registrars and absent registration officers; oath of office; compensation - Chapter 51, Section 23
  The registrars, assistant registrars and absent registration officers shall, before entering upon their official duties, each take and subscribe an oath faithfully to perform the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Powers and duties - Chapter 51, Section 24
  The registrars may cause the duties devolving upon a single registrar to be performed by one or two assistant registrars, and, if two are designated...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registrars; assistant registrars; compatibility of offices - Chapter 51, Section 25
  Every person appointed as a registrar or assistant registrar who is not regularly employed by the registrars shall be a voter of the city or...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registration sessions - Chapter 51, Section 26
  As used in this section and section forty-two H, “election” shall include every state, city or town primary, preliminary election, election, or town meeting. The...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec. 7 - Chapter 51, Section 27
  Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Last day for registration - Chapter 51, Section 28
  They shall hold a continuous session from nine o’clock ante meridian until eight o’clock in the evening on the last day for registration prescribed under...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec. 9 - Chapter 51, Section 29 to 30
  Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Final day for registration - Chapter 51, Section 31
  If the final day for registration of voters falls on Sunday or on a holiday, the preceding day shall be the final day for such
• Massachusetts General Laws - Places and hours of sessions; notices - Chapter 51, Section 32
  Registrars shall seasonably post or publish notices stating the places and hours for holding all sessions, including the final sessions preceding any election.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Affidavits of registration - Chapter 51, Section 33
  Any registrar, at such places as may be appointed, and on the day and during hours designated for the purpose, may receive affidavits of registration,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Online completion of affidavit of registration - Chapter 51, Section 33A
  [ Text of section added by 2014, 111, Sec. 3 effective May 22, 2014.] The state secretary shall create and maintain a secure online portal...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Persons not registered at close of registration - Chapter 51, Section 34
  After eight o’clock in the evening of a day on which registration is to cease, the registrars shall not register any person to vote in...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Omitted listings compared with annual register of voters; exceptions - Chapter 51, Section 35
  Except in any city or town as to which it is otherwise provided by special law, registrars shall compare all omitted listings with the annual...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Affidavit of voter registration; distribution; expenses - Chapter 51, Section 36
  The state secretary shall prepare in sufficient quantity blank forms for affidavits of voter registration and shall supply those forms to all registration agencies. The...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Annual register; omitted names; notice - Chapter 51, Section 37
  The registrars, as soon as they have prepared the lists required by section four, shall prepare an annual register containing the names of all qualified...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Inactive voters list - Chapter 51, Section 37A
  [ Text of section effective until May 22, 2014. For text effective May 22, 2014, see below.]The name and address of a voter that is...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Revisions and corrections of registers, etc. - Chapter 51, Section 38
  The registrars shall, upon the personal application of a listed person for the correction of any error in their original lists, and whenever informed of...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1969, 205, Sec. 3 - Chapter 51, Section 39
  Repealed, 1969, 205, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Public sessions; inspection of records - Chapter 51, Section 40
  The registrars shall perform their duties in open session. They shall distinctly announce the name of every person registering to vote. Their records shall at...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Preservation of documents - Chapter 51, Section 41
  The registrars shall preserve all written applications, complaints, certificates and affidavits received by them, and all other documents in their custody relative to listing and...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Duties imposed by Secs. 10A and 37 in cities not having registrars - Chapter 51, Section 41A
  The duties imposed by sections ten A and thirty-seven, respectively, upon registrars of voters shall be performed in Boston and in other cities not having...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Affidavit of registration; exception - Chapter 51, Section 42
  [ Text of section effective until August 1, 2016. For text effective August 1, 2016, see below.] Registration as a voter shall be by affidavit...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Physically disabled applicants - Chapter 51, Section 42A
  Any person claiming to have the qualifications for voting in any city or town who, by reason of physical disability, is unable to appear in...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec. 16 - Chapter 51, Section 42B
  Repealed, 1993, 475, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registration sessions in high schools and vocational schools - Chapter 51, Section 42C
  In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, voter education and voluntary registration sessions shall be held by the registrars, assistant...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registration sessions in regional high schools, colleges or universities - Chapter 51, Section 42D
  The registrars or election commissioners may hold registration sessions in any regional high school, college or university, in any city or town in the commonwealth...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Voter registration affidavit forms for college, high school and vocational school students - Chapter 51, Section 42E
  All public and independent colleges, universities, high schools and vocational schools shall make available affidavit of voter registration forms at all locations where students may...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Affidavits of registration from registrants residing in other cities or towns - Chapter 51, Section 42F
  At every registration session held pursuant to this chapter, a registrar or assistant registrar shall receive affidavits of registration from registrants who reside in any...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Transmission of completed affidavits to city or town where registrant resides - Chapter 51, Section 42G
  All registration agencies shall provide assistance with voter registration as required by 42 USC 1973 gg-5. Registration agencies shall transmit forthwith, within five calendar days,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Receipt of completed affidavit by registrar - Chapter 51, Section 42H
  [ Text of section effective until May 22, 2014. For text effective May 22, 2014, see below.] Registrars of voters in cities and towns shall...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1969, 205, Sec. 4 - Chapter 51, Section 43
  Repealed, 1969, 205, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Completion of affidavit of voter registration form - Chapter 51, Section 44
  A person seeking to register shall complete an affidavit of voter registration form as prescribed in section thirty-six, and shall sign the affidavit under the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1971, 320, Sec. 2 - Chapter 51, Section 45
  Repealed, 1971, 320, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Production of naturalization papers for inspection; notation - Chapter 51, Section 45A
  An applicant for registration may produce papers of naturalization for inspection if he so desires, and notation of such production shall be made a part...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Affidavit of registration; filing; addition of voter’s name to annual register - Chapter 51, Section 46
  Upon receipt of a completed affidavit of registration, the registrars shall, except as provided in section forty-seven, place said affidavit in their files and add...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Transmittal of duplicate certificate of registration to place of voter’s last registration - Chapter 51, Section 46A
  Except as provided in section forty-seven, the registrars, upon receipt of an affidavit of registration, shall transmit a duplicate copy thereof to the registrars in...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Rejection of defective affidavit of registration; notices to person named - Chapter 51, Section 47
  If, after examination of an affidavit of registration, it appears to the registrars from the facts set forth in the affidavit that the person is...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Registration of persons attaining full age by election or town meeting - Chapter 51, Section 47A
  [ Text of section effective until August 1, 2016. For text effective August 1, 2016, see below.] If, after examination of an affidavit of registration,...
• Massachusetts General Laws - False statements in affidavit of registration; complaint and summons; examination of qualifications - Chapter 51, Section 47B
  If at any time subsequent to the registration of a voter the registrars have probable cause to believe that the voter has made a false...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Central registry of voters - Chapter 51, Section 47C
  Subject to appropriation, the state secretary shall maintain a central registry of voters which shall contain, if provided by the registrars, the names, addresses and...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Complaint; time for filing; summons and service of process - Chapter 51, Section 48
  Upon complaint signed and sworn to by a registered voter and filed with the registrars at least fourteen days in a city, or at least...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Examination of persons summoned; status for annual register; failure to appear - Chapter 51, Section 49
  If a person summoned before the registrars to answer such complaint appears before them, they shall examine him on oath, and shall receive such other...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Supplementary registration - Chapter 51, Section 50
  Any legal resident of the commonwealth who was included in the definition of “Specially qualified voter” in section one of chapter fifty throughout the seven...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Certificate of supplementary registration; voting thereon - Chapter 51, Section 51
  To every person registered under section fifty the registrars shall issue a certificate, similar to that provided for in section fifty-nine, entitled “Supplementary Registration—Specially Qualified...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Confidential registration certificate - Chapter 51, Section 51A
  To every person whose affidavit of voter registration is not a public record, and whose name and address do not appear on the annual register...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Duties of registrars - Chapter 51, Section 52
  A registrar shall enforce regularity in all proceedings before him, maintain order in and about the place where a session is held, or applications for...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Solicitation of votes and distribution of campaign literature in registration offices prohibited; penalties - Chapter 51, Section 52A
  No candidate for public office, or any person acting on behalf of a candidate, shall solicit votes or distribute campaign literature in any office where...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Police assistance at meetings - Chapter 51, Section 53
  The board of police or officer in charge of the police force of a city or town shall, when requested by the registrars, detail a...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Supervisors of registration; appointment; duties; interference with supervisors; penalties - Chapter 51, Section 54
  The governor, with the advice and consent of the council, shall, on the petition of not less than ten qualified voters of a city or...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Preparation of voting lists; contents and arrangement; distribution; revisions - Chapter 51, Section 55
  Registrars shall, from the names entered in the annual register and from the names maintained on the inactive voters list, prepare voting lists for use...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1981, 143, Sec. 1 - Chapter 51, Section 56
  Repealed, 1981, 143, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Posting of lists; copies for state political committees - Chapter 51, Section 57
  They shall, at least twenty days before the annual or biennial city or town election, and except in Boston, at least sixty days before the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - New names added to lists; distribution of copies; posting or publication - Chapter 51, Section 58
  If a new name is added to the annual register after the voting lists have been posted, registrars shall cause it to be added to...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec. 16 - Chapter 51, Section 58A
  Repealed, 1988, 79, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Certificate in case of omissions or clerical errors; voting procedure - Chapter 51, Section 59
  Whenever the name of a voter, appearing at a polling place to vote in a primary, caucus or election or preliminary election, does not appear...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 2004, 334, Sec. 2 - Chapter 51, Section 59A
  Repealed, 2004, 334, Sec.
• Massachusetts General Laws - Voting lists for use at polls - Chapter 51, Section 60
  Before every election and meeting in a city or town at which voting lists may be required to be used, the registrars shall prepare such...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Certification of registered voters - Chapter 51, Section 61
  They shall forthwith, after the final day for registration before a biennial state or regular city or town election, certify to the state secretary the...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Certified copies for use at caucus; party enrollment designations - Chapter 51, Section 62
  When a caucus is called, the registrars, on the request of the chairman of the ward or town committee of the party whose caucus is...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Lists furnished for new wards and voting precincts - Chapter 51, Section 63
  After the biennial state election in nineteen hundred and forty-four, and in every tenth year thereafter for the purpose of furnishing the information necessary for...
• Massachusetts General Laws - Online portal for verification of registration or pre-registration status - Chapter 51, Section 64
  [Text of section added by 2014, 111, Sec. 8 effective May 22, 2014.] The state secretary shall create and maintain an online portal through which...

Last modified: September 11, 2015