Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth race?
Bill Galvin has the strongest record in the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth race. Bill Galvin scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Bill Galvin's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Anne Brensley (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Anne Brensley
On the ballot as Anne R. Brensley
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Bill Galvin
On the ballot as William Francis Galvin
58 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 50
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Anne Brensley
- On the record2026-05-14
Said May 14, 2026 she fell short of the lieutenant governor ballot after a paid Republican consultant's signature batches were flagged as forged; the Secretary's office contacted the Plymouth DA about him.
Sources: Boston Herald, May 14, 2026, Boston Herald, July 19, 2026
- On the record2026-07-19
Withdrew from the lieutenant governor race in July 2026 and ran a write-in campaign for secretary of state, winning the Republican nomination with 63.9% of primary write-in votes.
Sources: Boston Herald, July 19, 2026, Ballotpedia, Anne Brensley
- On the record2025-10
Filed a lawsuit in October 2025 asking Middlesex Superior Court to order legislative leaders to comply with the 2024 voter-approved audit law; legislative leaders moved to dismiss.
Where it stands: Pending as of the June 2026 hearing; no ruling found.
Source: Lowell Sun, June 24, 2026
Bill Galvin
- Mark against2026-03
His office did not publish the jail-voting reports the 2022 VOTES Act requires within six months of the September and November 2024 elections; after an SJC suit it agreed in March 2026 to issue them by June 1.
Sources: Boston Globe, March 9, 2026, Boston.com, March 12, 2026
- On the record2026-09-08
In September 2026 defended citizen ballot questions as a check on the Legislature while legislative leaders pushed to change the process.
Source: Lowell Sun (State House News Service), Sept. 12, 2026
- On the record2026-04-09
Declined a 2025 Justice Department demand for the state voter list; a federal judge dismissed the department's suit against him on April 9, 2026.
Source: Boston Globe, April 9, 2026
- On the record2025-08
Filed an initiative petition in August 2025 to put Election Day voter registration on the 2026 ballot after the Legislature did not pass it.
- On the record2019-11-22
The State Ethics Commission in November 2019 found reasonable cause to believe his name on 2018 early voting signs and the voter booklet gave him unwarranted benefits; it issued a public education letter and no fine. He disputed it.
Sources: WBUR (AP), Nov. 22, 2019, CBS Boston (AP), Nov. 22, 2019
- Credit2025-02
Placed Boston's election department in state receivership in February 2025 after polling places ran out of ballots in November 2024; he reported smooth Boston operations in November 2025.
Sources: Boston Herald (State House News Service), Nov. 4, 2025, Boston Herald, March 11, 2026
- Credit2023-08-25
The Supreme Judicial Court on Aug. 25, 2023 upheld his office's rule requiring brokers to act as fiduciaries, in his enforcement case against Robinhood.
Source: Boston Herald, Aug. 25, 2023
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. State campaign finance disclosures are on file for every cycle shown (Ballotpedia summary of required disclosures). No OCPF enforcement action naming him was found in the agency's 2009 to 2026 action list.
Source: Ballotpedia, William Galvin
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. In August 2025 filed a ballot initiative for Election Day voter registration after years of inaction by the Democratic-led Legislature, and in September 2026 defended ballot questions against legislative leaders' push to curb them.
Sources: CommonWealth Beacon, Aug. 13, 2025, Lowell Sun (State House News Service), Sept. 12, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. Takes questions from reporters regularly, including on Election Day. No 2026 debate with Anne Brensley was found.
Source: Boston Herald (State House News Service), Nov. 4, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. State representative from 1975 and secretary of state since 1995 with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, William Galvin
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Anne Brensley. Served on the Wayland select board, a sworn local office; no finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Boston Herald, Sept. 15, 2025
Bill Galvin. Chief election officer since 1995; no misuse-of-office finding and no action to reject certified results found.
Source: CommonWealth Beacon (State House News Service), 2026
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Anne Brensley. Elected Wayland select board member and CEO of the real estate firm DevCo North America.
Source: Boston Herald, Sept. 15, 2025
Bill Galvin. Secretary of the Commonwealth since 1995, eight four-year terms, after 16 years in the Massachusetts House.
Source: CommonWealth Beacon (State House News Service), 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Anne Brensley. Published positions in general terms: better public records access, transparency, a modernized Corporations Division and easier business startup.
Source: Boston Herald, July 19, 2026
Bill Galvin. Sitting secretary for eight terms; put forward a specific plan within the office's area, an Election Day registration ballot question, and is contesting federal requests for voter data in court.
Source: CommonWealth Beacon (State House News Service), 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Anne Brensley. Two channels: campaign issue statements and press interviews. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: Anne Brensley campaign site, Ballotpedia, Anne Brensley
Bill Galvin. Two channels: regular press availability and public voter-information appearances. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: CommonWealth Beacon (State House News Service), 2026, Ballotpedia, William Galvin
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Anne Brensley. Wayland resident and former Wayland select board member; years of residence not documented.
Source: Boston Herald, Sept. 15, 2025
Bill Galvin. Native of Brighton; represented Allston-Brighton in the House from 1975.
Source: Ballotpedia, William Galvin
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Anne Brensley. Chief executive of DevCo North America; firm size not documented.
Source: Boston Herald, Sept. 15, 2025
Bill Galvin. Has run the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office (elections, corporations, securities, public records) since 1995; office size not documented in an opened source.
Source: CommonWealth Beacon (State House News Service), 2026
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. The Supreme Judicial Court upheld his office's broker fiduciary rule in the Robinhood case in August 2023. In February 2025 he placed Boston's election department in state receivership after 2024 ballot shortages; operations improved by November 2025.
Sources: Boston Herald, Aug. 25, 2023, Boston Herald (State House News Service), Nov. 4, 2025
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. His office did not publish the jail-voting reports the 2022 VOTES Act requires within six months of the 2024 elections; after an SJC suit it agreed in March 2026 to issue them by June 1.
Sources: Boston Globe, March 9, 2026, Boston.com, March 12, 2026
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Anne Brensley. No public record found.
Bill Galvin. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth race?
Bill Galvin has the strongest record in the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth race. Bill Galvin scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Bill Galvin's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Anne Brensley (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth race in 2026?
Anne Brensley (Republican), Bill Galvin (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Anne Brensley a good candidate for Secretary of the Commonwealth?
Anne Brensley has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Bill Galvin a good candidate for Secretary of the Commonwealth?
Bill Galvin scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Massachusetts race scored, and the Massachusetts 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.