How to Run for Town Election

Current Town Meeting Members whose term of office expires will be mailed a letter asking if the person will seek re-election in the coming year. Deadline for return of the signed response card to the Town Clerk is absolute To confirm whether your current term expires, please check the Town Clerk's Office. 

Candidates running for Town-wide office must obtain nomination papers. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerks Office. All candidates must obtain signatures of at least 50 registered voters of the Town. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20% more just to be safe.

Town Meeting acts as the legislative body of the Town and consists of 279 members elected from precincts plus about 10 Ex-officio members. Town Meeting makes all of the decisions about the Town's budgets, local Bylaws (both General and Zoning), and other matters.

Milton's form of government is a Representative Town Meeting, which means that only elected Town Meeting Members can debate and vote at Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting takes place on the first Monday in May and typically lasts between four to six evenings, (customarily Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). A Special Town Meeting is held on the last Monday in October if called by the Select Board.

To be considered a new candidate for Town Meeting, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the Town of Milton. You must obtain nomination papers from the Town Clerk's Office. All candidates must obtain signatures of at least 10 registered voters of your precinct. Please be sure the signatures are legible. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20% more just to be safe. Nomination papers must be returned to the Town Clerk.

Running for election is simple. Nomination papers are available in the Office of the Town Clerk. Have your neighbors and friends who are registered voters clearly sign your papers. Submit completed nomination papers to the Town Clerk by the deadline. 

Signatures of at least 50 registered voters of the Town are required on the nomination papers. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerks Office. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20% more just to be safe.

Signatures of at least 10 registered voters of your precinct are required on the nomination papers. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerks Office. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 50% more just to be safe. Some current Town Meeting Members will be seeking re-election but all seats are available in each precinct.

If you have taken out nomination papers and the signatures have been certified, but you change your mind, you may remove your name from the ballot by notifying the Town Clerk 23 days prior to the election.

Question proponents must gather the required number of signatures on the petition papers supplied by the Town Clerk. Once the signatures are gathered, the petition papers are submitted to the Town Clerk for certification. The Town Clerk will certify the signature of any registered Milton voter. (If the paper is for the nomination of a candidate for a party primary, the signatures of voters enrolled in another political party or political designation will not be counted.) If the required number of signatures is certified, the candidate or question will appear on the ballot.