Section 44C. Any person who is qualified to vote for a candidate for any elective municipal office and who is a candidate for nomination thereto, shall be entitled to have his name as such candidate printed on the official ballot to be used at a preliminary election; provided, that within the time prescribed by section ten of chapter fifty-three in the case of preliminary elections in cities he shall file with the city clerk a statement in writing of his candidacy, and with it the petition of at least fifty voters, qualified to vote for a candidate for the said office. Said statement and petition shall be in substantially the following form:—

Statement of Candidate

I ( ), on oath declare that I reside at (number if any) on (name of street) in the city of ; that I am a voter therein, qualified to vote for a candidate for the hereinafter mentioned office; that I am a candidate for the office of (name of office) for (state the term) to be vote for at the preliminary election to be held on Tuesday, the day of , nineteen hundred and , and I request that my name be printed as such candidate on the official ballot for use at said preliminary election.

(Signed)

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ss.

Subscribed and sworn to on this day of , nineteen hundred and before me,

(Signed)

Justice of the Peace, or (Notary Public).

Petition Accompanying Statement of Candidate

Whereas (name of candidate) is a candidate for nomination for the office of (state the office) for (state the term), we, the undersigned, voters of the city of , duly qualified to vote for a candidate for said office, do hereby request that the name of said (name of candidate) as a candidate for nomination for said office be printed on the official ballot to be used at the preliminary election to be held on the Tuesday of , nineteen hundred and .

We further state that we believe him to be of good moral character and qualified to perform the duties of the office.

No acceptance by the candidate for nomination named in the said petition shall be necessary to its validity or its filing, and the petition, which may be on one or more papers, need not be sworn to.