Attorney General of Massachusetts
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Current officeholder
The current Massachusetts Attorney General is Martha Coakley. When Coakley took her oath of office on January 17, 2007 as the Attorney General of Massachusetts, she became the first woman in state history to serve in the office. Her term expires in 2014.
Qualifications
Here is a list of the standard qualifications necessary under Massachusetts State Law in order to be considered for the Office of State Attorney General:
- Candidates for office must be:
- eighteen years of age
- a citizen of the United States for at least five years
- "The attorney general shall be a member of the bar of the commonwealth" [1] (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 12, § 1)
Ballot Text and Legality
Unlike most states, who mandate that proponents of an initiative must first file with the Secretary of Commonwealth, Massachusetts guidelines have a ballot first be submitted to the attorney general.
At least 10 qualified voters must submit their contact information, certificate of voter registration and the full text of the ballot.
The attorney general bears the responsibility of determining whether the petition is an acceptable subject of the initiative, and if so, he or she prepares a concise summary and returns this summary and the proposed law to the petitioners. If the attorney general determines the petition relates to an excluded matter, the petition is disallowed.
If the ballot passes review it will then be returned to the proponents who may then submit it to the secretary of commonwealth (also known as the secretary of state).
Elections
Massachusetts elects attorneys general in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Massachusetts, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all attorney general election years.
Electoral history
2006
- 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary
- Martha Coakley ran unopposed
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election [2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Martha Coakley (D)
| 68.9% | |||
| Larry Frisoli (R) | 25.6% | |||
| Total votes | 2,243,835 | |||
Compensation
In 2010, the Attorney General of Massachusetts was paid an estimated $133,644 according to the Council of State Governments.[3]
Contact information
One Exchange Place
Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: 508-792-7600
Toll Free Phone: 617-727-4765
Fax: 508-795-1991
E-mail: ago@ago.state.ma.us
See also
- Martha Coakley, Attorney General of Massachusetts
- Governor of Massachusetts
- Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
- Secretary of State for Massachusetts
External links
References
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