Ballot Law Commission

In June 2026 the State Ballot Law Commission sustained a Democratic Party objection against Republican attorney-general candidate Michael Walsh, ruling that his nomination papers fell short of the state's 10,000 certified-signature requirement. The Essex County Superior Court reversed that finding and reinstated Walsh to the ballot on 10 July ; the Supreme Judicial Court declined the Commission's appeal on 13 July without reaching the merits .

The Commission is a five-member body appointed by the governor. One member, a retired justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, Superior Court or District Courts, chairs it for a one-year renewable term; the other four serve renewable two-year terms, and no more than three members may belong to the same political party. It investigates objections to the legality, validity, completeness and accuracy of nomination papers and candidate qualifications for state, national and county office. It has no jurisdiction over ballot content, public-policy referendum questions, or city and town races.

The reversal does not establish that Walsh committed fraud. The Superior Court, in overturning the Commission, cited substantial evidence of fraud in the signature-gathering process, a finding distinct from a finding that Walsh's own submitted signatures were themselves fraudulent. A related case against lieutenant-governor candidate Manning Martin, argued on the same signature-fraud theory, remains pending.