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America’s First Constitutions and Declarations of Rights
the Constitution, they have authority to try and determine, by committees of their own members, or in such other way as they may respectively
think best.
chapter ii
Executive Power
section i
Governor
Art. i.—there shall be a Supreme Executive Magistrate, who shall be
styled, the governor of the commonwealth of massachusetts, and
whose title shall be—his excellency.
ii.—the Governor shall be chosen annually: And no person shall be
eligible to this office, unless at the time of his election, he shall have been
an inhabitant of this Commonwealth for seven years next preceding; and
unless he shall, at the same time, be seized in his own right, of a freehold
within the Commonwealth, of the value of one thousand pounds; and
unless he shall declare himself to be of the christian religion.
iii.—those persons who shall be qualified to vote for Senators and
Representatives within the several towns of this Commonwealth, shall,
at a meeting, to be called for that purpose, on the first Monday of April
annually, give in their votes for a Governor, to the Selectmen, who shall
preside at such meetings; and the Town Clerk, in the presence and with
the assistance of the Selectmen, shall, in open town meeting, sort and
count the votes, and form a list of the persons voted for, with the number
of votes for each person against his name; and shall make a fair record of
the same in the town books, and a public declaration thereof in the said
meeting; and shall, in the presence of the inhabitants, seal up copies of
the said list, attested by him and the Selectmen, and transmit the same to
the Sheriff of the county, thirty days at least before the last Wednesday in
May; and the Sheriff shall transmit the same to the Secretary’s office seventeen days at least before the said last Wednesday in May; or the Selectmen may cause returns of the same to be made to the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth seventeen days at least before the said day;