Running for Elected Office & Town Meeting Member

We encourage all candidates for all elected offices, for both Town-Wide Office and Town Meeting, to investigate the responsibilities of the post by reading this information, also available at the Town Clerk's office:

• Town General Bylaws
• Belmont Town Meeting Acts of 1926 (PDF)
• Campaigning for Elected Office in Belmont - Hints from the Town Clerk's Office (PDF)
• Minutes of Elected Boards

Electioneering Restrictions

On Election Day, certain electioneering activities are prohibited within 150 feet of the entrance to a polling place per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 54, Section 65.

See maps showing the 150-foot radius for electioneering activity (PDF).

Getting Your Name on the Ballot

To have your name appear on the ballot, you must file nomination papers. Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk's office beginning in December; have your neighbors and friends who are registered voters sign your papers and submit the signed forms to the Town Clerk by the deadline.

Filing Nomination Papers

Nomination papers for Annual Town Election (Town Meeting and Town-wide offices) are available beginning in December at the Town Clerk's Office. The deadline to return nomination papers to the Town Clerk's office is 49 days before the Annual Town Election (General Bylaws Section 30-110 A(1)), (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 53 Section 7 and Chapter 53 Section 10). The deadline to return Nomination Papers is February 17, 2026.

Those who have not returned nomination papers and wish to run for Town-wide office or Town Meeting Member can still run a write-in campaign.

Town-Wide Offices

To be considered a candidate for Town-Wide Office, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the Town of Belmont.

Signatures of at least 50 registered voters of the Town are required on the nomination papers. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20 percent more just to be safe.

Representative Town Meeting Members

The elected term for Town Meeting Member is three years, though should a resignation occur, there may be openings for one- or two-year periods.

Incumbent Town Meeting Members

Incumbent Town Meeting Members who intend to run for re-election must notify the Town Clerk by signing and returning the Intention Letter 70 days before the Annual Town Election (General Bylaws Section 30-110 A(1)). Missing the return deadline means having to collect signatures on nomination papers. The deadline to return the Intention Letter is January 27, 2026.

Any Town Meeting Member elected at caucus can serve until the next local election. If they choose to continue serving, they must pull nomination papers and run as a new candidate.

New Candidates for Town Meeting Member

To be considered a new candidate for Town Meeting Member, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the Town of Belmont. If you are currently serving as a Town Meeting Member who was elected at caucus, not by Town ballot, you will need to submit nomination papers as a new candidate.

Signatures of at least 25 registered voters from your precinct are required on the nomination papers. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20 percent more just to be safe.

Withdrawing Your Name From the Ballot

If you have taken out nomination papers and the signatures have been certified, but you change your mind, you may remove your name from the ballot by notifying the Town Clerk in writing by the nomination paper filing deadline. The deadline to withdraw your name is February 17, 2026.

Requesting Voter Lists

To request a list of voters for either the entire Town of Belmont or for a specific Precinct, you may file a Public Records Request. You will be able to file a new request or view voter lists that have already been published by conducting a search of published documents. Type "Vote" in the "Search File Names" box and sort by upload date to find the most recent voter lists and voter activity files.

Running a Write-In Campaign

If you didn't file nomination papers in time, there's always the opportunity to run a write-in or sticker campaign. View the guidelines from the Secretary of State's office. Please note that Belmont's voting machines use optical scanner technology.

If running any kind of write-in campaign, it's very important to tell your supporters to fill in the oval next to the "write-in" line under the correct office to make sure the optical scanner reads the vote first. At the end of the voting hours, the election workers review every ballot to attribute the write-ins and stickers voted without the ovals but it's best to have the ballot recognized by the voting machine as well.

Campaign Finance Filings and Requirements

All candidates for Town-wide elected office, as well as all those currently serving, must file campaign finance forms with the Town Clerk's office eight days before a local election, thirty (30) days after a local election, and a year-end report due January 20th.

New to Campaign Finance? Find out more.