Running for Office
For most elections in Massachusetts, candidates petition to have their names placed on the ballot. Signatures can be gathered from registered voters, using official petitions provided by state or local election officials.
If you are interested in running for a city or town office, you should contact your local election office to learn about the specific requirements and deadlines for your upcoming municipal election. Municipal elections are run by local election officials and ballot access requirements vary by community.
If you are interested in running for an office that is elected on the state ballot, read on below. The information provided below is specific to the 2026 State Primary and State Election.
Please note that this page provides only a general overview of the process. A detailed guide for candidates will be provided with nomination papers. You should read that guide thoroughly before circulating or filing your nomination papers.
Election Dates
State Primary: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
State Election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Offices to be Elected
The following offices will appear on the 2026 State Election ballot:
- U.S. Senator
- U.S. Representative
- Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Treasurer and Receiver General
- Auditor
- Governor’s Councillor
- State Senator
- State Representative
- District Attorney
- Register of Probate
- County Commissioner (select counties only)
- County Treasurer (select counties only)
- Sheriff (Franklin County only – to fill a vacancy)
Additional local offices may appear on ballots in certain cities and towns. If vacancies occur in certain district and county offices, the Governor may add those offices to the state ballot.
Obtaining Nomination Papers
To begin the process of petitioning to have your name printed on the ballot, you must obtain nomination papers. You will use the nomination papers to gather signatures from registered voters.
After nomination papers are released, they will be available in the following locations:
- The Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Boston Office
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Southeastern Office
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Western Office
- Select city and town election offices
- Locations to be announced at a later date
If you can’t pick up nomination papers in person, you may send someone to collect them for you. Be sure to provide the pick-up person with the following information:
- Your name
- Your residential address
- Your political party affiliation
- The office you are seeking
- The district in which you will be running
- Contact information for your campaign
We will provide nomination papers by mail, upon request. To request to receive nomination papers by mail, call or email the Elections Division after nomination papers have been released. Nomination papers cannot be provided electronically.
Nomination papers will be released no later than February 10, 2026.
Signatures & Other Requirements
To qualify for the ballot, you must submit a certain number of certified signatures. The number of required signatures is set by state law, and varies by office.
Below are the signature requirements for offices appearing on the 2026 State Election ballot:
- U.S. Senator – 10,000
- U.S. Representative – 2,000
- Governor – 10,000
- Lieutenant Governor – 10,000
- Attorney General – 10,000
- Secretary of State – 5,000
- Treasurer & Receiver General – 5,000
- Auditor – 5,000
- Governor’s Councillor – 1,000
- District Attorney – 1,000
- Register of Probate
- Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester Counties – 1,000
- Barnstable, Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties – 500
- Dukes and Nantucket Counties – 25
- County Commissioner
- Barnstable County – 500
- Bristol County – 1,000
- Dukes County – 25
- Norfolk County – 1,000
- Plymouth County – 1,000
- County Treasurer
- Bristol County – 1,000
- Dukes County - 25
- Norfolk County – 1,000
- Plymouth County – 1,000
- Sheriff (Franklin County) – 500
If you’re running in a district, you may gather signatures only from voters who are registered in your district.
If you’re a party candidate (Democrat or Republican) running in the State Primary, you may gather signatures from voters who are registered in your party, or who aren’t registered in any party. Signatures from voters registered in the other party will not be certified.
If you’re a non-party candidate running only in the State Election, you may gather signatures from voters of all party affiliations.
Additional Requirements
In addition to the above number of certified signatures, you will need to file certain additional paperwork to qualify for the ballot.
All candidates must file a written acceptance of the nomination. A space for your signature formally accepting the nomination is printed on every nomination paper, but only one written acceptance is required.
All candidates must also file either an Enrollment Certification (for party candidates) or a Voter Registration Certificate (for non-party candidates). This certificate is printed on your nomination papers and must be completed by the board of registrars in the city or town where you are registered to vote. The registrars must certify that you meet the necessary party enrollment requirements (see below section).
Candidates running for state, county, or district offices must file an Ethics Receipt, which the State Ethics Commission will provide when you file your Statement of Financial Interests (SFI). Contact the State Ethics Commission for information on filing this statement. Candidates for federal offices are exempt from this requirement.
Candidates running for statewide offices must file an OCPF Receipt, which is provided by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance when you file certain information with that office about campaign spending limits. Contact OCPF for more information. This requirement applies only to candidates running statewide, and excludes candidates for U.S. Senator.
Party Enrollment Requirements
When you obtain nomination papers, you will need to provide information about your party enrollment, so that the correct nomination papers can be given to you. If you’re not sure of your party enrollment, confirm your registration information with your local election official before picking up nomination papers.
You may run for office either as a party candidate or as a non-party candidate. Currently, there are only two recognized political parties in Massachusetts: Democratic and Republican.
In order to qualify to have your name printed on the ballot for the Democratic Primary or Republican Primary, you must have been registered in your party throughout the 90 days leading up to the deadline to file nomination papers with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division. You also can’t have been registered in the other party for one year prior to the same filing deadline.
To qualify as a non-party candidate for the State Election ballot, you can’t have been registered in either political party (Democratic or Republican) during the 90 day period leading up to the deadline for party candidates to file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.
Warning: If you enroll in a party or un-enroll from a party after the deadline to do so, you won’t be able to meet the requirements to have your name printed on either ballot. Doing so will result in your disqualification from running, except as a write-in candidate.
Federal & Statewide Candidates
If you’re running for a federal or statewide office, the deadline to enroll in a party or to un-enroll from a party is March 3, 2026.
The above deadline applies to candidates running for U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Auditor.
- → Note: Political parties may also impose additional requirements on party candidates running statewide. Contact your state party committee for more information about party convention requirements.
District & County Candidates
If you’re running for a district or county office, the deadline to enroll in a party or to un-enroll from a party is February 24, 2026.
The above deadline applies to candidates running for State Senator, State Representative, Governor’s Council, District Attorney, Register of Probate, County Commissioner, County Treasurer, and any other district or county office.
Residency & Other Requirements
In order to qualify to have your name printed on the ballot, you must be a registered voter of Massachusetts. This means that you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old by the deadline for filing your nomination papers.
Certain offices have additional requirements you must fulfill in order to hold the office. Depending on the office, these requirements are created by the U.S. Constitution, the Massachusetts Constitution, or state law.
Refer to the candidate’s guide included with your nomination papers for detailed information about the requirements for the office you are seeking.
Dates & Deadlines
Filing deadlines vary by office. For federal and statewide candidates, deadlines also differ for party candidates and non-party candidates.
Below is a list of some important dates and deadlines. Additional deadlines will be listed in your candidate’s guide. Read your candidate’s guide thoroughly, to be aware of all requirements and deadlines.
Nomination papers become available: February 10, 2026.
Deadline to enroll in a party or un-enroll from a party:
- Candidates running for district or county office – February 24, 2026
- andidates running for federal or statewide office – March 3, 2026
Deadline to submit nomination papers to local registrars of voters for certification of signatures:
- All candidates running for district or county office – 5 p.m., April 28, 2026
- Party candidates running for federal or statewide office – 5 p.m., May 5, 2026
- Non-party candidates running for federal or statewide office – 5 p.m., July 28, 2026
Deadline to file certified nomination papers and all other required paperwork with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division:
- All candidates running for district or county office – 5 p.m., May 26, 2026
- Party candidates running for federal or statewide office – 5 p.m., June 2, 2026
- Non-party candidates running for federal or statewide office – 5 p.m., August 25, 2026
Additional Information
Additional information will be available in the candidate’s guide, “Don’t Just Stand There… Run!” The guide is provided to all candidates with their nomination papers.
You may also contact the Elections Division at elections@sec.state.ma.us or 617-727-2828 with any additional questions about qualifying for the ballot.
For questions about campaign finance requirements, you may contact the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, if you are running for a state, district, or county office. If you are running for a federal office, contact the Federal Election Commission.