The Green Papers: State and Local Government
 
Copyright www.flags.net/UNST.htm Massachusetts
Governor:1(Term Limit: None; 4-year terms)
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 1 and 2)
2000 Representatives:10(2.30% of 435)
2002 Representatives:10(2.30% of 435)
2004 Electors:12(2.23% of 538)
1990 Census:6,016,425 (2.42% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:6,355,568 (2.25% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):4,008,796
Estimated Voting age population (2000):4,749,000
Capital:Boston
 

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States Alphabetically    Current Massachusetts Statewide Office Holders

Official Name/Status   All States
 The COMMONWEALTH of Massachusetts
 Ratified Articles of Confederation: 10 March 1778. this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress
 Ratified Constitution of the United States: 6 February 1788
  The 6th state.
Traditional Sections and Regions   All States
 Section: NORTHEAST
 Region: New England
 Survey: Metes & Bounds
Constitutions   All States     Links to State Constitutions
 Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): [None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776]
 
• 1st (1780--) [Adopted: 2 March 1780 Convention convened, 1 September 1779, Ratified: 15 June 1780 ratified by the annual Town Meetings in the Spring of 1780: the Constitutional Convention thereafter resumed to consider amendments proposed at these Town Meetings and, on 15 June 1780, declared the Constitution to have been ratified; this Constitution became effective, 25 October 1780 and remains, at least ostensibly, the oldest written Constitution still in operation in the entire World. (The Constitutional Convention of 1919 recodified this document by incorporating the 66 amendments hitherto added to the 1780 Constitution into the body of that Constitution: this recodification was approved by the voters on 4 November 1919; however, this recodification is not generally considered to be a new Constitution per se)]
Executive Branch   All States
 
Chief Executive
 • GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
 • Lieutenant Governor [elected separately from GOVERNOR]
 
 
Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide   All States   2008 Office holders
 • Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: None
 • Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Elected on a ticket with (but nominated separately from) the Governor
 • Secretary of the Commonwealth: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
 • Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
 • Treasurer and Receiver-General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
 • Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
Legislative Branch   All States
 
Legislature
 • GENERAL COURT
 
Upper House
 • Senate
Lower House
 • House of Representatives
Judicial Branch   All States
 
Court of Last Resort
 • Supreme Judicial Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
 • Appeals Court
 
Local Government
 
   
PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION  All States
 • county [Type: Weak, Executive and Legislative: Board of Commissioners. Chapter 34B of the General Laws of Massachusetts- enacted in 1996- provides for the optional abolition of County Government, with the further option of replacing most of the former functions of such abolished government with a Regional Council of Governments made up of representatives of the Minor Civil Divisions (Cities and Towns) within or contiguous to a given abolished County. As in CONNECTICUT and RHODE ISLAND, abolished Counties continue to function as the basis of subdivisions of the Commonwealth for judicial purposes.]
 MINOR CIVIL DIVISION  All States
  • TOWN [Type: Very Strong, Executive: Board of Selectmen, Legislative: TOWN MEETING]
 
Incorporated Municipalities  All States
 
Localities
 •   Massachusetts Civil Divisions and Municipalities
   
Key Statewide / Federal Officials  All States
  Massachusetts Officials
Statutory Election Information   All States
 
General Election   All States
 • Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in every even-numbered year. [The General Laws of Massachusetts Chapter 54: Section 62]
Presidential Primary   All States
 • Presidential primaries shall be held on the first Tuesday in March in any year in which presidential electors are to be elected. [The General Laws of Massachusetts, Title VIII, Chapter 53: Section 28.]
State Primary   All States
 • State primaries shall be held on the seventh Tuesday preceding biennial state elections and on the fourth Tuesday preceding special state elections, except that primaries before special elections for senator or representative in congress shall be held on the sixth Tuesday preceding said elections. [The General Laws of Massachusetts, Title VIII, Chapter 53: Section 28.]
Polling times   All States
 • The polls shall in no case be kept open after eight o’clock in the evening ... the polls may be open as early as fifteen minutes before six o’clock in the forenoon, and shall be open not later than seven o’clock in the forenoon and shall be kept open at least thirteen hours. [The General Laws of Massachusetts Title VIII, Chapter 54: Section 64.]. [The polls must be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Some municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m. -Ed]
Links  Links to other web sites
 
Constitution
 • http://www.state.ma.us/legis/const.htm
Election Authority
 • Massachusetts Elections Division
 • Office of Campaign and Political Finance
Legislature
 • The General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Democratic
 • Massachusetts Democratic Party
Republican
 • Massachusetts Republican Party
 • Massachusetts Senate Republican Caucus
Third Party
 • America First Party of Massachusetts
 • Constitution Party of Massachusetts
 • Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts
 • Massachusetts Citizens For Life
 • Socialist Party of Massachusetts
 • The Constitution Party of Massachusetts
 • The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts
Media & others
 • Boston Globe
 • Boston Herald
 • Cape Cod Times
 • Daily Hampshire Gazette - Northampton
 • DC's Political Report - Massachusetts
 • Dorchester Reporter
 • Everett Independent
 • Gloucester Daily Times
 • IssueSource - MassINC - The State House News Service
 • Lowell Sun
 • MassINC - The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth
 • MassLive.com - The Republican - Springfield
 • Mayor James J. "Jim" Fiorentini, City of Haverhill
 • North Adams Transcript
 • Politics1.com - Massachusetts
 • Sentinel & Enterprise - Fitchburg
 • South Boston Online
 • South of Boston Media Group - Quincy
 • State House News Service
 • The Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield
 • The Daily News - Newburyport
 • The Daily News Tribune - Needham
 • The Eagle-Tribune - Lawrence
 • The Haverhill Gazette
 • The Herald News - Fall River
 • The Landmark - Holden
 • The Salem News
 • The Standard Times - South Coast Today - New Bedford
 • The Taunton Gazette
 • WBZ TV - CBS - Boston
 • WCVB TV - ABC - Needham
 • WHDH TV - NBC - Boston
 • Worcester Telegram & Gazette
 
 

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