Massachusetts State Government  

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Under the U.S. Constitution,  all powers not granted to the Federal Government are reserved for the States and the people. All State Governments are modeled after the Federal Government and consist of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The U.S. Constitution mandates that all states uphold a “republican form” of government, although the three-branch structure is not required.

 

The government of the Commonwealth is divided into three branches: the Executive, the bicameral Legislature and the Judiciary.

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Executive Branch
The elected officials, who all serve  4-year terms, are:

Governor or chief executive officer 
Lieutenant Governor (elected with the Governor) 
State Treasurer
Secretary of the Commonwealth 
Attorney General 
State Auditor

An 8-member Executive Council  known as the Governor’s Council are also elected  to two year terms in even numbered years.  The Council provides advice and consent on gubernatorial appointments, pardons and commutations, and warrants for the state treasury.
The Governor’s Cabinet is appointed.

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The Legislature: 
The Legislative branch is a bicameral legislative body of the Commonwealth, consisting of a Senate of 40 members and a House of Representatives of 160 members

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State Senate:  
Members of the Senate and the House are elected to two-year terms in even-numbered years.  Barnstable is located in the 40th Senate District of Massachusetts The current Senator for the Cape and Islands is Julian Cyr (Democrat).  

State House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is comprised of 160 members, each representing a district of approximately 40,000 people. 

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Kip Diggs       

 Districts:  2nd Barnstable     

Precinct: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9    

Party:  Democrat

Steve Xiaros        

District:  5th Barnstable    

Precincts: 10,11,12                 

Party: Republican

Judicial Branch
This branch includes the Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, and the Trial Court.  Their judges are appointed by the government.

 

In Massachusetts, United States Senators,  United States House of Representatives, and State legislators, Massachusetts' Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Auditor are all  elected via plurality vote in single-winner contests.​​​

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