Election & Town Meeting Dates & Deadlines

Nomination and Petition Papers for Municipal Elections

The first step to running for office or placing a question on the ballot is to gather the required number of signatures of registered voters on petition papers. The number of signatures depends on the office or the type of question.

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

Schedule of Events

  • Warrant Closure Deadline - Late December as voted by Select Board 
  • Deadline for Incumbent Town Meeting Members to file for re-election - 56 Days prior to election
  • Deadline to obtain Nomination Papers - 51 Days prior to election - new candidates
  • Deadline to submit signed Nomination Papers - 49 Days prior to election
  • Deadline for Candidates to Withdraw - 33 Days prior to election
  • Voter Registration Deadline - 10 Days prior to election
  • Warrant Posting Deadline - 7 Days prior to election
  • Upcoming Vote by Mail Ballot Deadlines:

    Election

    Application Deadline

    March 5, 2024 Annual Town Election - to be held in conjunction with the Presidential Primary

    5 p.m., Tuesday, February 27, 2024

  • Annual Town Election - First Monday in March, unless otherwise declared
  • Annual Town Meeting - Session 1 - March 18, 2024

Town Committees

Town Committees are elected on March Presidential Primary Ballot (2020, 2024, etc.).

Each political party may elect a town committee consisting of three to thirty-five members in each town for a four-year term. Members of town committees serve in the following capacities:

  • Represent their party at the local neighborhood level;
  • Promote the objectives of the party; and
  • Work for the nomination and election of party candidates.

Ways to Run for a Town Committee

  1. Incumbent members of the current committee often form their own slate
  2. An interested person may request a place on this slate by contacting the chairperson whose name is available from the local election office in the city or town hall
  3. A candidate may run on another slate; a candidate may run as an individual

How to Run for the Town Committee

Nomination papers are available beginning August the year prior to the State Election, in the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, located at:
1 Ashburton Place
Room 1705
Boston, MA 02108

They can also be found at the Lexington Town Clerk's Office, during regular hours.

Nomination papers must be submitted to the office of the Lexington Town Clerk/Board of Registrars for the certification of names by the following November.

Nomination papers must be picked up from the Town Clerk's Office and filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Additional information is available from both the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Office of the Lexington Town Clerk.