March 18, 2023 Election Warrant

How to Run for Public Office 

Annual Town Election to be held March 18, 2023

Have you ever given it thought to run for public office? Would you like to volunteer your time to assist the Town of Winchester? Do you have experience and talents that can benefit the Town?  Well if so, here are a few important things you need to know in order to be considered:

1. You must be a registered voter at your Winchester address
2. You must stop into Town Hall on or before the deadline on January 25, 2023 to register as an official candidate for public office
3. You must circulate a nomination petition with 50 valid signatures (town wide) or 10 valid signatures (town meeting) of voters in Winchester who sign to support your candidacy
4. Return your papers on or before January 27, 2023 by postmark USPS mail or drop box to the Town Clerk’s Office for approval
5. Decide if you will establish a Candidate Committee to promote your election campaign
6. Get out the vote!

Effective Tuesday, December 27, 2022, the nomination papers for the March 18th Annual Town Election are available to request from the Office of the Town Clerk. You can simply stop by the Town Clerk’s Office to fill out the paperwork to become a candidate for election.  The Town Clerk’s staff will walk you through the process and send you home with you packet of educational material on becoming a candidate for local office. 

The following town-wide offices will be on the ballot this year: 

• Moderator for 1-year term
• one member for the Select Board for 3-year term
• one member for the Board of Assessor for a 3 year term
• one member of the Board of Assessor for a 2 year term
• one member of the Board of Health for a 3 year term
• two members for the Planning Board for 3 year terms
• two members of the Planning Board for 3 year term
• one member for the School Committee for 3 year term
• two members of the Board of Library Trustees for 3-year term
• one member for the Housing Authority for 5-year term

In addition, in each of the Town’s eight precincts, eight 3-year town meeting member terms will be on the ballot. (For a total of 64 town meeting seats)

There are additional vacancies due to resignations that occurred throughout the year:

• Precinct 1 - 1 for a two-year term
• Precinct 2 - 1 for a one-year term
• Precinct 2 - 1 for a two-year term
• Precinct 3 - 1 for a two-year term
• Precinct 5 - 1 for a one-year term
• Precinct 6 - 1 for a one-year term

Signatures of fifty (50) registered voters are required for nomination to town-wide office; ten (10) signatures from the candidate’s precinct are needed for town meeting. Incumbent town meeting members are not required to obtain signatures.  The Town Clerk’s staff mailed out letters to incumbents the week of December 19, 2022, with instructions if they would like to appear on the ballot.

The last day to take out nomination papers for any office is 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Signed nomination papers must be submitted to the Town Clerk’s Office for certification no later than 5PM Friday, January 27, 2023.

If you are interested to run for office or if you are interested to see who may be running, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-721-7130 or email us at townclerk@winchester.us if you have questions.