HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2778        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 655

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act allowing for congressional district apportionment of presidential electors..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 8 of Chapter 53 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “electors”, in line 15, the following words:-  One presidential elector shall be chosen from each congressional district and two presidential electors shall be chosen at large.  Each presidential elector chosen from a congressional district shall reside in the congressional district for which the presidential elector is chosen.

SECTION 2. Section 78A of Chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “commonwealth”, in line 8, the following words:-and a resident of the congressional district in which he or she elected as applicable.

SECTION 3.  Section 151 of Chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition, is herby amended by striking out all after “elected” in line 2 and by striking out lines 3 through 6 and inserting in its place the following:- a presidential elector shall be chosen equal to one elector and each congressional district in the commonwealth and two electors at large.    The presidential electors of each congressional district shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates who received the largest number of votes in each respective congressional district.   The presidential electors at large shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice presidential candidates who received the largest number of votes in the commonwealth.  Presidential electors shall be chosen by the voters of the commonwealth in the manner and with the effect provided by section seventy eight.