Running for Elected Office

Running for Elected Office & City Council Member

We encourage all candidates for all elected offices, for both City-Wide Office to investigate the responsibilities of the post by reading this information:

• Watertown Home Rule Charter
• Open Offices

Electioneering Restrictions

On Election Day, certain electioneering activities are prohibited within 150 feet of the entrance to a polling place per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 54, Section 65.

Getting Your Name on the Ballot

To have your name appear on the ballot, you must file nomination papers. Nomination papers are available in the City Clerk's office beginning June 2, 2025; have your neighbors and friends who are registered voters sign your papers and submit the signed forms to the City Clerk by the deadline of July 14, 2025.

Requesting Voter Lists

To request a list of voters for either the entire City of Watertown or for a specific Precinct, you may email your request to CityClerk@watertown-ma.gov.

City-Wide Offices

To be considered a candidate for City-Wide Office, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the City of Watertown.

Signatures of voters required to place the name of a candidate on the official ballot to be used at a preliminary election shall be as follows: for the office of council president and member of the school committee, councilor-at-large, school committee member, or library trustee, not less than one-hundred such signatures, not more than fifty of which shall be from any one district; for the office of district councilor not less than one hundred such signatures from the district from which the nomination is sought. The City Clerk must certify these signatures so we always suggest obtaining about 20 percent more just to be safe.

Withdrawing Your Name From the Ballot

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 City Clerk in writing by the nomination paper filing deadline of July 28, 2025.

Campaign Finance Filings and Requirements

All candidates for City-wide elected office, as well as all those currently serving, must file campaign finance forms with the City Clerk's office eight days before a local election, thirty (30) days after a local election, and a year-end report due January 20th.

New to Campaign Finance? Find out more.