Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title VIII Chapter 53
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 53, § 47 (2026)

Nomination papers; preparation; availability

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Section 47. Nomination papers for use in the nomination of candidates to be voted for at state primaries shall be prepared, and on request furnished, by the state secretary. Nomination papers for use in the nomination of candidates for all offices shall be available for use on or before the fifteenth Tuesday preceding the date for filing as provided in section forty-eight, except in the case of primaries before special elections. In no case shall any blank forms for such nominations be larger than eight and one half inches by fourteen inches, nor shall anyone be prohibited from making exact copies of such forms provided by the secretary of state for the purpose of collecting signatures for such nominations, nor shall any such copies be rejected for certification or submittal to the secretary of state.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1976–2020 · leading case: McCarthy v. Sec'y of the Commonwealth, 359 N.E.2d 291 (Mass. 1977).
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McCarthy v. Sec'y of the Commonwealth, 359 N.E.2d 291 (Mass. 1977). · cites it 2× “G.L.c. 53, § 47, as amended through St. 1975, c.”
Robinson v. State Ballot Law Comm'n, 432 Mass. 145 (Mass. 2000). · cites it 3× “48, while the exact copy language for nomination papers comes exclusively from a statute, G. L. c. 53, § 47. Based on this and other differences, he suggests that we need not apply the rigorous exact copy standard explicated in the Hurst case.”
LaRouche v. Guzzi, 417 F. Supp. 444 (D. Mass. 1976). “Nomination papers are available for circulation 12 weeks before the date they are due to be filed, M.G.L. c. 53, § 47 (1976-77 Supp.), and must be submitted to local officials (e.”
Goldstein v. Sec'y of the Commonwealth (Mass. 2020). · cites it 2× “See G. L. c. 53, § 47. This year, the nomination papers were furnished on February 11, 2020.”
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