An Act providing for the election of candidates in the city of Haverhill

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Andy Vargas

Requires Haverhill candidates in a preliminary election to nominate for only one office; if filed for multiple, they must withdraw, or the earliest filing wins the ballot spot.

Purpose and intent

This bill adds a new requirement to the City of Haverhill’s election framework to prevent candidates from seeking nomination for more than one public office during a single preliminary election. It aims to ensure that each candidate appears on the ballot for a single office in preliminary elections, reducing multiple filings for different offices.

Key provisions and changes

Amends Chapter 195 of the Acts of 2022 (the act establishing election procedures for at-large and district councilors and school committee members in Haverhill).

New provision added to end of section 2:

“No person shall be a candidate for nomination to more than one office at any preliminary election.”
If a candidate has filed nomination papers for more than one office appearing on the ballot in a preliminary election, they must withdraw from all but one nomination no later than the last day and hour for withdrawals under General Laws Chapter 53, Section 13.
If the candidate fails to withdraw by the deadline, the candidate will appear on the official ballot for the office for which they filed the nomination papers first in time, as evidenced by the city time stamp.

Section 2 specifies that the act takes effect upon passage and applies to city elections beginning with the 2025 biennial municipal election.

Who and what would be affected

Affects candidates seeking nomination for any preliminary election for Haverhill’s local offices on the ballot (notably, at-large and district city councilors and school committee members under the existing framework).

Applies to candidates who contend for more than one office in the same preliminary cycle; it assigns a single office to each candidate based on the earliest filing time if withdrawals are not completed.

Timeline and implementation

Sponsor: Representative Andres X. Vargas (Haverhill).

Filed: June 4, 2025 (House No. 4203).

Introduced as HD 4791; status notes indicate introduction and local sponsorship (with mayor and city council approval mentioned in the petition description).

Effective date: Upon passage; applicable to city elections starting with the 2025 biennial municipal election.

Notes and context

The bill modifies local election procedures to introduce a clear tie-breaking mechanism based on filing timestamp (city time stamp) for unresolved multi-office nominations.

It preserves existing withdrawal processes under General Laws Chapter 53, Section 13, while adding a concrete consequence for non-withdrawal.

The measure reflects a move toward simplifying ballot choices and preventing multiple simultaneous nominations for different offices in a single preliminary election.

Bill