Nomination Papers

The first step to running for office locally is to visit the Town Clerk's office to pull nomination papers and gather the required number of signatures of registered voters on nomination papers. The number of signatures for Grafton is fifty, but we strongly encourage securing more in case some are not able to be certified. Nomination papers will be available around the middle to end of January.

Once the signatures are gathered, the nomination papers are submitted to the Town Clerk/Board of Registrars for certification. If the required number of signatures is certified, the candidate will appear on the ballot. Guidelines and instruction for seeking elected office are available from the Town Clerk's office.

Please note, no candidate for a city or town office is to be given more blank nomination papers than will contain five times the number of signatures required to be nominated.

Did you miss the deadline to pull nomination papers? For candidates whose name did not make it on the ballot, the option of a sticker or write-in campaign exists. The parameters are available at the Secretary of State's website. Follow the instructions for optical scanner ballots regarding specific size and print size. The sticker should contain the name and address of the candidate. Write-in names must appear under the correct office on the ballot. For write-in or stickers, please instruct the voter to also blacken the oval in addition to providing the name!

For more information, please read the How to Run For Office in Massachusetts guide (PDF) from the Secretary of Commonwealth. The Election Division in Boston is also available to answer questions at 617-727-2828.

See the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General Guide for Members of Public Boards and Committees (PDF).