Nomination Papers

Nomination papers are the forms on which you will obtain valid signatures, that is, signatures of registered voters who are eligible to vote for the office that you are seeking. In order to be on the ballot, you will need to obtain a specified number of valid signatures on your nomination papers. All candidates for federal, state and local public office need nomination papers.

The only candidates who do NOT need nomination papers are ENDORSED candidates for party offices (i.e. district, city, town or ward committees). However, UNENDORSED candidates for district, city, town or ward committees MUST gather signatures on nomination papers.

• Who needs nomination papers?

  Candidates for:	Endorsed:	Not Endorsed:
  Federal Public Office: Representative in Congress Statewide Public Office: Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, General Treasurer, Attorney General	Candidates need nomination papers	Candidates need nomination papers
  State Public Office: Senator in General Assembly Representative in General Assembly	Candidates need nomination papers	Candidates need nomination papers
  Local Public Office: Mayor/Town Administrator City/Town Council School Committee	Candidates need nomination papers	Candidates need nomination papers
  State Party Committee Office: Senatorial District Committee Representative District Committee Democratic State Committee	Candidates do not need nomination papers	Candidates need nomination papers
  Local Party Committee Office: City/Town/Ward Committee	Candidates do not need nomination papers	Candidates need nomination papers

• How many signatures are required on nomination papers in order to qualify?

  If you are running for:	Number of valid signatures required:
  President of the United States	1000
  Delegates	150
  Senator in Congress	1000
  Representative in Congress	500
  Governor	1000
  Lt. Governor	500
  Secretary of State	500
  General Treasurer	500
  Attorney General	500
  Senator in General Assembly	100
  Representative in General Assembly	50
  Senate and Representative District Committees (Unendorsed only)	50
  Democratic State Committee (Unendorsed only)	50
  Local Offices	Check with your local Board of Canvassers

• When and where do I pick up my nomination papers?

  Representative in Congress, Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, General Treasurer, Attorney General:
  You must obtain your nomination papers from the Department of State’s Elections Division, 123 Main Street, Marlborough, SS.

  All other offices (senator in General Assembly, representative in General Assembly, party offices and local offices)
  You must obtain your nomination papers from the local board of canvassers where you filed your Declaration of Candidacy, except for candidates who declared with the local board of canvassers in Marlborough.

  For Marlborough Candidates Only:
  If you are a candidate for senator in General Assembly, representative in General Assembly, senatorial or representative district committee, or Democratic State Committee in the City of Marlborough, you must obtain your nomination papers from the Department of State's Elections Division, 123 Main Street, Marlborough, SS.

  All persons other than candidates picking up nomination papers from the Department of State’s Elections Division must have written authorization from the candidate.

• Who can sign my nomination papers and do they have to be a member of the same party?

  ANY registered voter who is eligible to vote for the office for which you seek election.

  Example: A voter who is registered in the First Congressional District can sign your nomination papers if you are running for the office of Representative in Congress in District 1, but that voter cannot sign your nomination papers if you are running for the office of Representative in Congress in District 2.

  The voter DOES NOT need to be a member of the political party listed on the nomination paper.

  Example: A registered Democrat can sign the nomination papers of a Democratic candidate, Republican candidate, or an independent/unaffiliated candidate.

• Does it make a difference which of my papers a voter signs?

  Yes. At the top of each nomination paper there is a space for you to indicate the city/town in which the signers are registered voters.

  Signers on a nomination paper must be from the city or town listed at the top of the nomination paper.

  Example: A registered voter in Marlborough must sign a nomination paper that lists “Marlborough” at the top of the paper. This is the paper that you will return to the Marlborough Board of Canvassers. The Marlborough Board of Canvassers will verify signatures on this paper. If a Marlborough voter signs a Marlborough nomination paper, that signature will not be verified since the nomination paper will be reviewed only by the Marlborough Board of Canvassers.

• If a voter signs a nomination paper of a party candidate, does that automatically make the voter a member of that party?

  No. The act of signing nomination papers does not make the voter a member of that political party.

• How many papers can a person sign?

  There is no restriction on the number of nomination papers a person can sign for federal and state candidates. However, your signature can only be counted once for each candidate.

• When and where do I return my nomination papers?

  Nomination papers for:	Must be returned by:	Must be returned to:
  All candidates	July 15th at 4 p.m.	Local Board of Canvassers in the city or town listed at the top of the nomination paper

• How do I know if I qualified for ballot placement?

  Candidates for federal, state and local office can check our website for daily updates. As certified nomination papers are received from the local boards of canvassers, we will enter the number of valid signatures for each candidate into our database. This information will be updated at the end of each day during the nomination paper certification process.