Massachusetts General Laws Part I. Administration of the Government (Ch. 1-182) Ch. 53, § 70D

Nominations of candidates for state, ward and town committee shall be by nomination papers which shall be prepared and, on request, furnished by the state secretary. Nomination papers for candidates for state committees shall be signed by at least fifty voters, and nomination papers for candidates for ward and town committees shall be signed by at least five voters.

The provisions of section forty-five shall apply to the nomination papers of candidates to be voted for at presidential primaries, except that only candidates for state committee may use the eight word statement allowed under the provisions of said section forty-five; provided, however, that a candidate for state committee may, if he is a veteran, as defined in section one of chapter thirty-one, use the word “veteran”. The nomination papers of a candidate for state committee who is an elected incumbent thereof may also contain the statement “Candidate for Re-election”. Nomination papers may contain the name of more than one candidate for members of ward and town committees.