Chapter 179

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN THE YEAR 2008.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to change the date of presidential preference primary, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

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. In accordance with section 26 of chapter 51 and section 38 of chapter 53, voters may register to vote and change party enrollment for the presidential primary to be held in 2008 until Wednesday, January 16, 2008. Registration sessions shall be held from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. except in towns having less than 1500 voters, in which case registration sessions shall be sufficient if held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding section 28 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, in the year 2008, the presidential primary shall be held on Tuesday, February 5.

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding section 46 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the deadline to submit nomination papers of candidates for president to the registrars of the cities or towns where the signers appear to be voters for certification of signatures shall be 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, and the registrars shall complete certification no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 3, 2007.

SECTION 4. Notwithstanding section 48 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the deadline to file nomination papers of candidates for president with the state secretary shall be 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2007.

SECTION 5. Notwithstanding section 5 of chapter 55B of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the deadline to file objections to certificates of nomination or nomination papers of candidates for president with the state secretary shall be 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2007.

SECTION 6. Notwithstanding section 6 of chapter 55B of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the deadline for candidates for president who filed nomination papers with local registrars to apply to the registrars for a review of signatures not previously certified shall be 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, and the deadline for the registrars to complete review of signatures not previously certified shall be 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.

SECTION 7. Notwithstanding sections 34 and 70E of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, the state secretary may print the names of candidates for special state primaries on the same ballot for use at the presidential primary in any city or town within a district in which a special state primary is called for February 5, 2008. The appearance of the order of offices on presidential primary ballots in 2008 on which state primary candidates are also printed shall be at the discretion of the state secretary.

SECTION 8. Notwithstanding section 70E of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the chairman of the state committee of a political party and the state secretary shall submit lists or prepare lists of candidates for president to be printed on the presidential primary ballot no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2007, and the deadline for a presidential candidate to file with the state secretary an affidavit stating that he does not desire his name printed upon the presidential primary ballot shall be 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2007. The state secretary shall draw for the order of names of candidates for president to appear on the presidential primary ballot on Monday, December 10, 2007.

SECTION 9. In accordance with section 86 of chapter 54, city and town clerks shall send absentee ballot applications for the presidential primary in 2008 to each voter whose name appears on the permanently disabled voters’ list by January 8, 2008.

SECTION 10. In accordance with section 91B of chapter 54, the last day for any two registrars or election commissioners to designate a health care facility for supervised absentee voting for the presidential primary in 2008 shall be Tuesday, January 8, 2008.

SECTION 11. Notwithstanding sections 9 and 10 of chapter 55B of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, for the presidential primary to be held in 2008, the first day the state ballot law commission may hear objections to certificates of nomination or nomination papers of candidates for president shall be Thursday, December 13, 2007, and the commission shall render decisions on such objections no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 19, 2007.

SECTION 12. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the last day to designate or change a polling place for the presidential primary shall be Wednesday, January 16, 2008.

SECTION 13. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the last day to post the warrant for the presidential primary shall be Tuesday, January 29, 2008.

SECTION 14. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the state secretary shall have the authority to add or change any dates relating to the presidential primary held on February 5, 2008 as he deems necessary for the orderly administration of the election by providing notice of such change to any affected person, by filing notice with the rules and regulations division, by posting on his website and by whatever other means he deems appropriate

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Approved November 26, 2007.