A preliminary election for the purpose of nominating candidates for mayor shall be held on the third Tuesday in September in each odd-numbered year in which a mayor is to be elected, but the city clerk may, with the approval of the city council, reschedule this election to the fourth Tuesday to avoid a conflict with any civil or religious holiday. Whenever a special election to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor is to be held, a preliminary election shall be conducted, if necessary, 28 days before the date established for the special election.
A preliminary election for the purpose of nominating candidates for city councilors and school committee members who are to be elected shall be held on the third Tuesday in September in each odd-numbered year in which a city councilor or school committee member is to be elected, but the city clerk may, with the approval of the city council, reschedule this election to the fourth Tuesday to avoid a conflict with any civil or religious holiday.
(a) 
Ballot Preparation and Signature Requirements.
(1) 
The board of election commissioners and city clerk shall prepare separate nomination papers for nomination to at-large and ward positions, and make the same available not earlier than April 2 in each preliminary election year.
(2) 
Said papers shall be submitted to the city clerk on or before 4 p.m. on the forty-fifth day prior to the declared date of such preliminary election.
(3) 
An individual may appear on the ballot for only one (1) office at any preliminary, regular or special election.
(4) 
Nomination papers shall be signed by the following number of voters for each office:
(a) 
Mayor, no fewer than five hundred (500) signatures, with no fewer than twenty-five (25) signatures certified from each ward;
(b) 
Councilor at large or school committee member at large, no fewer than two hundred fifty (250) signatures; and
(c) 
Ward councilor or ward school committee member, no fewer than one hundred (100) signatures from the ward in which election is sought.
(5) 
The number of signatures for nomination may be changed from time to time by an affirmative vote of no fewer than seven (7) councilors.
(6) 
Any candidate taking out papers shall be advised of the number of signatures required for nomination to the office sought.
(Amended C0114-18/Acts of 2018, Chapter 316)
(b) 
Ballot Position - The order in which names of candidates for each office appear on the ballot shall be determined by a drawing, by lot, conducted by the city clerk at least 40 days before the preliminary election. Such drawing shall be open to the public.
(c) 
Determination of Candidates - The 2 persons receiving at a preliminary election the highest number of votes for nomination for an office shall, except as provided by subsection (d) of this section, be the sole candidates for that office whose names shall be printed on the official ballot to be used at the regular or special election at which such office is to be voted upon, and no acceptance of a nomination shall be necessary to its validity. If 2 or more persons are to be elected to the same office at such regular or special city election, the several persons equal in number to twice the number so to be elected receiving at such preliminary election the highest number of votes for nomination for that office shall, except as provided by subsection (d) of this section, be the sole candidates for that office whose names shall be printed on the official ballot. If the preliminary election results in a tie vote among candidates for nomination receiving the lowest number of votes which, but for said tie vote, would entitle a person receiving the same to have their name printed on the official ballot for the election, all candidates participating in said tie vote shall have their names printed on the official ballots, although in consequence thereof there shall be printed on such ballots the names of candidates exceeding twice the number to be elected.
(d) 
Condition Making Preliminary Unnecessary - If at the expiration of the time for filing statements of candidates to be voted for at any preliminary election not more than twice as many such statements have been filed with the city clerk for an office as are to be elected to such office, the candidates whose statements have thus been filed shall be deemed to have been nominated to said office, and their names shall be voted on for such office at the succeeding regular or special election, as the case may be, and the city clerk shall not print said names upon the ballot to be used at said preliminary election and no other nomination to said office shall be made. If in consequence it shall appear that no names are to be printed upon the official ballot to be used at any preliminary election in any ward or wards of the city, no preliminary election shall be held in any such ward or wards.
(C0005-1-20/Acts of 2021, Chapter 14; amended as part of October 2021 update)
The order in which names of candidates for each office appear on the ballot for each office shall be determined by a drawing, by lot, conducted by the city clerk no later than 7 days after the certification of the preliminary election results. Such drawing shall be open to the public.
All elections for city offices shall be non-partisan, and election ballots shall be printed without any party mark, emblem, or other political designation.
The territory of the city shall be divided into 6 wards by the city clerk so established as to consist of as nearly an equal number of inhabitants as it is possible to achieve based on compact and contiguous territory, bounded as far as possible by the center line of known streets or ways or by other well-defined limits. Each such ward shall be composed of voting precincts established in accordance with general laws. The city council shall from time to time, but at least once in each 10 years, review these wards to insure their uniformity in number of inhabitants.
Except as otherwise expressly provided in this charter and authorized by law, all city elections shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth relating to the right to vote, the registration of voters, the nomination of candidates, voting places, the conduct of preliminary, regular and special elections, the submission of charters, charter amendments and other propositions to the voters, the counting of votes, the recounting of votes, and the determination of results.