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S 532

Nuisance Alligator control

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Greg Hembree

Sets uniform primary dates (state: second Tuesday in June; presidential: first Tuesday in March) and lets towns/districts shift local elections Feb 1 to May 31 to avoid conflicts.

Referred to Committee on Fish, Game and Forestry
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Bill Summary · S 532

Summary — S.532 (Senate Docket No. 2277)

Title (in bill text): "An Act promoting democracy in primary elections"
Bill number: S.532 (SD 2277) — filed 1/17/2025; introduced in the Senate 2/12/2025 by Senator Rebecca L. Rausch.

Note on metadata: Some of the supplied metadata (a different title about library taxes and an unrelated list of federal sponsors and companion federal bills) conflicts with the bill text. This summary is based on the actual bill text filed as SD 2277 (Rebecca L. Rausch) concerning state and presidential primary scheduling and related election timing rules. Users should verify the correct bill number/title if relying on external records.

Main purpose

To set uniform dates for state and presidential primaries, require timely public notice, and give municipalities and certain districts limited authority to reschedule local preliminary/primary/town elections (or district elections) to avoid scheduling conflicts with the presidential primary.

Key provisions

  • State primary scheduling
    • State primaries (general state primaries) to be held on the second Tuesday in June in even-numbered years.
    • Primaries for special state elections: generally on the fourth Tuesday preceding the special election; for special elections for U.S. senator or representative, the primary is the sixth Tuesday preceding the special election.
    • If a religious holiday falls on or immediately before that June Tuesday, the state secretary may set the primary within 7 days of that date.
  • Notice requirement
    • State secretary must publish the date of the state primary by February 1 of each even-numbered year by: notifying state parties, filing notice with the publications/regulations division, posting on the secretary’s website, and any other necessary means.
  • Presidential primaries and local elections
    • Presidential primaries to be held on the first Tuesday in March in years when presidential electors are elected.
    • Towns may hold preliminary or regular town elections on the presidential primary date if those town elections use a ballot independent of the presidential primary ballot.
    • City and town primaries for local elections are set for the twenty-eighth day before those elections.
  • Flexibility to avoid conflicts with presidential primary
    • If a town’s preliminary/primary/town election or annual town meeting would fall within 30 days before or after the presidential primary, the town executive body (after consulting the town clerk) may, by majority vote, set a date between February 1 and May 31 for that event.
    • Similarly, a district (created by special or general law) may have its prudential committee or commissioners (by majority vote) set a date between February 1 and May 31 when its district election would otherwise fall within 30 days before or after the presidential primary.
  • Geographic/administrative details
    • Except for Boston, primaries shall be held by wards, precincts, or towns as designated by the city or town executive body.

Who is affected

  • State-level: Secretary of the Commonwealth and state political parties (notification duties).
  • Local governments: city/town executive bodies, town clerks, prudential committees/commissioners for special districts.
  • Voters: timing of state, presidential, municipal, and district elections; potential consolidation of local elections with presidential primaries (with separate ballots).
  • Boston is explicitly excepted from the ward/precinct/town requirement noted.

Procedural / timeline information

  • Filed as SD 2277 on 1/17/2025; Senate introduction noted 2/12/2025.
  • Referred to relevant committees (record shows referral to Election Laws and other committees); a public hearing was scheduled for 06/17/2025 per the record provided.
  • Status entries provided contain inconsistencies (some list referral to Local Government, others to Election Laws); verify official chamber tracking for current status.

If you want, I can (1) extract the exact statutory text changes (showing struck/inserted language), (2) compare this version to current Chapter 53 §28, or (3) check official legislative tracking to resolve the metadata inconsistencies.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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