# Massachusetts H 4531: An Act relative to the 2026 state primary election date Massachusetts H 4531, An Act relative to the 2026 state primary election date, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by House Committee on Ways and Means; status signed, last action 2025-09-23 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 34 of the Acts of 2025) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4531-194 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Massachusetts H 4531 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act relative to the 2026 state primary election date - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-09-17 - Last action: 2025-09-23, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 34 of the Acts of 2025 - Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: House Ways and Means, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 1 (30 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Ballots to military and overseas voters: benefit, low. If you are a uniformed service member or overseas voter and your application arrived at least 45 days before the November 3, 2026 election, local officials must send your absentee ballot by Saturday, September 19, 2026. - Secretary can adjust 2026 election dates: benefit, low. The state secretary may add or change dates tied to nominations from the September 1, 2026 primary when needed to run the November 3, 2026 election. The secretary must notify state parties and affected people, file the notice, and post it on the secretary’s website. The secretary may also use any o… - 2026 primary date and candidate deadlines: mixed, low. The 2026 state primary is on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. If your name was not printed on the ballot but you earned enough votes, you must file a written acceptance and a State Ethics Commission receipt by 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Any objections to, or withdrawals from, nominations… - Fast-track recounts and ballot challenges: mixed, low. To start a recount of the September 1, 2026 primary, file with your local election official by 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 3, 2026. District-wide and statewide petitions must be submitted for certification by 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 3, 2026, certified by 12:00 P.M. on Friday, Septembe… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-09-16 | committee | Committee In Part: H.4429 “An Act making appropriations for fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects” in part, as amended | pass | 30 | 0 | | ## Actions (15) - 2025-09-23: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 34 of the Acts of 2025 - 2025-09-18: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2025-09-18: Enacted (House) - 2025-09-18: Emergency preamble adopted (Senate) - 2025-09-18: Emergency preamble adopted (House) - 2025-09-18: Read third (title change) and passed to be engrossed (Senate) - 2025-09-18: Ordered to a third reading (Senate) - 2025-09-18: Amendment (Rausch) rejected (Senate) - 2025-09-18: Read, rules suspended, read second (Senate) - 2025-09-17: Read second, ordered to a third reading, rules suspended, read third and passed to be engrossed (House) - 2025-09-17: Rules suspended (House) - 2025-09-17: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House) - 2025-09-17: Committee recommended ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2025-09-17: Reported on a part of H4429 (House) - 2025-09-17: Reported by the committee on House Ways and Means (House) ## Bill text - Chapter 34 of the Acts of 2025, 2025-09-23: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4531.pdf) ## Related bills - H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed) - H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate) - H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house) - H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions (signed) - H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading) - H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed) ## Sources - [Chapter 34 of the Acts of 2025 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4531.pdf) ## Related - [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194) - [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194) - [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194) - [H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H3909-194) - [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194) - [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4531-194 (as of 2026-11-01).