HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4400        FILED ON: 7/17/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4331

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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July 17, 2014

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 8, Paragraph 1, Clause (2) of the Amendments to the Constitution as amended by the Article LXXXIX, I am filing for your consideration the attached legislation entitled “An Act Validating the Results of Certain Election Held in the Town of Lancaster”

Representative Naughton and members of the Town of Lancaster Historical Commission have requested that I file this legislation on behalf of the Town.  The purpose of this legislation it to ratify the results of the Town’s May 13, 2013 Annual Town Election to the same extent as if the warrant included the text of the ballot questions in the text of the warrants posted for the election as required by G.L. c. 39 § 10.  This legislation is necessary because the Town Board of Selectmen duly approved and signed the warrant for the May 13, 2013.  After such approval, however, the text of the ballot questions were inadvertently left off of the warrant pursuant to the statutory requirements of G.L. c. 39 § 10.  Despite this oversight, the question whether to move the Lancaster Historical Commission and other administrative offices of the Town to a newly renovated building passed by a majority vote. The failure to provide the text of the ballot question on the warrant resulted in the election law requirements not being completely met.

The Town and bill sponsors are confident that the Town residents did receive adequate notice of the vote through a variety of channels including posting on the Town website and at the Town Hall leading up to the election.

I urge your early and favorable consideration of this bill.

Respectfully submitted,

Deval L. Patrick,

Governor

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4331

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act validating the results of a certain election held in the town of Lancaster.

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.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, all acts and proceedings taken by the town of Lancaster at the annual town election held on May 13, 2013 and all actions taken pursuant thereto are hereby ratified, validated and confirmed, notwithstanding any failure to include the text of ballot questions in the posted warrants for the election.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.