Clerks in at least three South Shore towns have reported potential election irregularities involving nomination papers submitted for the Republican lieutenant governor race, raising questions about whether some voter signatures were submitted without voters’ knowledge or authorization.
The concerns, reported in Hanover, Scituate and Rockland, come as Anne Brensley, a Republican candidate for Massachusetts lieutenant governor, has alleged that a company her campaign paid to collect nomination signatures may have forged the names of registered voters.
After Brensley did not collect enough signatures to qualify for the 2026 state primary ballot by the May 5 deadline, her campaign claimed in a May 14 release that Joe Bronske, whom the campaign had hired to collect signatures, may have forged signatures on nomination papers submitted to local clerks.
The South Shore Times has confirmed that clerks in Hanover, Scituate and Rockland reported concerns involving nomination papers submitted in the Republican lieutenant governor race. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office did not respond to the South Shore Times’ request for comment.
The Hanover Town Clerk’s Office announced May 13 that it had identified and was reviewing “potential irregularities” in nomination papers submitted for the September 2026 state primary.
“The Hanover Town Clerk’s Office wishes to inform residents that it has identified potential irregularities involving recently submitted nomination papers for the September 2026 State Primary,” the office said in a statement. “Specifically, certain signatures appearing on nomination documents may include the names of registered Hanover voters without their knowledge or authorization.”
The statement, signed by Town Clerk Catherine Harder-Bernier, said the Town Clerk’s Office reported the irregularities to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office and “is cooperating fully to review the matter and determine the appropriate next steps.”
Internal emails obtained by the South Shore Times show the issue was first raised with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division on May 7, two days after the papers were submitted to Hanover Town Hall.
In a May 7 email to Michelle Tassinari, director of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division, Harder-Bernier said an unknown man came into the Hanover Town Clerk’s Office late on May 5 and dropped off two sets of nomination papers as she was leaving to help set up for the second night of Annual Town Meeting. Harder-Bernier said the timing limited her ability to review the papers immediately, and that her office administrator completed the transaction after she left.
Harder-Bernier wrote that the submission stood out because the man appeared to be filing papers for both Republican lieutenant governor candidates, which she described as unusual. The filing was also large for Hanover, she said, consisting of one stack of 39 papers and another stack of 32 papers.
“We started to certify the papers Tuesday afternoon,” Harder-Bernier wrote. “My Registrar got through one page and stopped.”
Harder-Bernier told the state that both sets of papers had every signature line filled, which she described as unusual for Hanover but “not unheard of.” She said the town would continue certifying the papers based on whether each listed person was a registered voter in Hanover, but said the office had “serious concerns about the validity of the signatures.”
In a separate email later that day to Town Manager Joseph Colangelo and Select Board Chair Ann Lee, Harder-Bernier said the Board of Registrars “immediately flagged the papers as concerning” while conducting certifications.
She said she reviewed the papers herself, agreed with the board’s concerns, and contacted the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office.
According to Harder-Bernier’s email, Tassinari told her that the person who submitted the papers in Hanover “made a similar suspect submission in Scituate.”
Scituate Town Clerk Kathleen Gardner confirmed to the South Shore Times that her office also received nomination papers for three candidates from one individual on May 5 and had questions about some of the signatures.
“I reported the incident to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office immediately and was advised that state regulations require this office to certify the signatures if they are the name and address of a registered voter, and that the signatures can be reviewed and challenged if the candidate files them with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office,” Gardner said in an email.
Gardner said the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office is handling the situation. As of this report, they had not collected the nomination papers.
Rockland officials also reported issues involving nomination papers in the Republican lieutenant governor race, according to information reviewed by the South Shore Times. Additional details were not immediately available.
To appear on a Massachusetts state primary ballot, candidates must submit nomination papers with signatures from registered voters. Local registrars review and certify signatures before papers are filed with the state.
The concerns raised by South Shore clerks, coupled with Brensley’s allegation, bring new scrutiny to the use of paid signature collectors in statewide races, where candidates must gather large numbers of signatures by strict filing deadlines.
In her email to Hanover officials, Harder-Bernier said the nomination papers were not yet public records and that the town would continue its certification work as required by law. She also said she had requested hallway video from the afternoon the papers were submitted.
This story is developing.