Rachael Rollins Faces Fresh Controversy Over Nomination Signatures

Massachusetts voters, like voters everywhere, are growing increasingly skeptical of the election system, and with good reason. The politicians, meanwhile, are doing little to reassure voters that elections are on the up and up.

Growing Skepticism Around Massachusetts Elections

Three Republican statewide candidates – Lieutenant Governor candidates Anne Brensley and Anne Manning Martin, and Attorney General candidate Michael Walsh – ran into problems with collected nomination signatures, some of which were fraudulent.

Walsh survived a signature challenge and will appear on the November 3 ballot. Manning Martin did not survive a challenge and was kept from the ballot. Brensley withdrew on her own when she realized she didn't have enough certifiable signatures.

Now a fourth candidate, Rachael Rollins, is facing a signature controversy of her own.

The Controversy Surrounding Rachael Rollins' Petitions

Rollins, the former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney appointed by former President Joe Biden, is seeking the Democratic nomination for another former position she held, Suffolk County District Attorney. Rollins resigned as U.S. Attorney in 2023 during an ethics controversy.

The Boston Globe reported, "Four Chelsea elected officials told the Globe on Monday that they never signed Rollins's nomination papers despite their names being listed on documents she submitted to Secretary of State William F. Galvin's office in May."

Political reporter Kelly Garrity said that "Two others whose names appeared twice said they did sign – but only once, raising questions about how their names ended up on the papers a second time."

Chelsea City Councilor Todd Taylor told the Boston Herald's Tim Dunn that he did not sign Rollins' nomination papers either, yet his name appears on them. Dunn reported Taylor told him that "several other signatures are also questionable."

Dealing with signature fraud is difficult.

Garrity said local city clerks can "flag questionable signatures" for the Secretary of State's office; however, registrars there "aren't generally playing handwriting detective," leaving interested parties to investigate and file signature challenges with the State Ballot Law Commission.

Candidate Responses and Upcoming Election Dates

Rollins responded to the controversy on Facebook: "The community gathered my signatures," she wrote, "And if you eliminated every single signature I have from Chelsea, I am still on the ballot. With hundreds of signatures to spare."

Rollins also addressed the controversy in a post on X. "I'm trying to find out what happened here,"  she posted. "I welcome transparency & apologize to the residents of Chelsea for all this confusion."

Meanwhile, Brensley is now a write-in candidate for Secretary of State, and Manning Martin is a write-in candidate for Lt. Governor.

The Massachusetts primary elections are September 1, and the general election is November 3.