Under Massachusetts law, state, federal, and local elections are administered through the offices of local town/city clerks or municipal election commissions, accountable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC).

Data concerning each municipality’s residents, voters, election preparation and outcomes are maintained year-round in a state-wide electronic Voter Registration Information System (VRIS) overseen by the SOC, but accessible only to the local election administrator.

Integral to the system is the annual Town Census, mailed to every household each January, the results of which are reported in the annual Street List every spring.