Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin announced the dates for the 1^st Suffolk Senatorial District special elections.

The primary will be held April 3, with the general on May 1.

The vacancy was created after Linda Dorcena Forry resigned to become a vice president at Suffolk Construction.

Pictured: Outgoing Senator Linda Dorcena Forry

A special election for the Massachusetts 10th Essex Representative District has been called to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Rep. Robert F. Fennell. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on April 12. The general election will follow on May 10.

A special election for the Massachusetts 2nd Plymouth and Bristol Senatorial District has been called to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Thomas Kennedy. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on October 6, 2015. The general election will follow on November 3, 2015.

A special election for the Massachusetts Fifth Middlesex Senate District has been called to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of state Senator Katherine M. Clark.

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on March 4, 2014. The general election will follow on April 1, 2014.

On December 10, 2013, Clark won a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives seat left vacant by Ed Markey.

A special election for the Massachusetts Ninth Norfolk Representative District has been called to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of state Rep. Daniel B. Winslow.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on December 10, 2013. The special general election will follow on January 7, 2014.

Winslow resigned from the Senate to work as vice president and general counsel at Rimini Street, a third-party provider of enterprise software support services.

A special election for the Massachusetts Second Hampden and Hampshire Senate District has been called to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of state Senator Michael R. Knapik.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on October 8, 2013. The special general election will follow on November 5.

Knapik resigned from the Senate to work as executive director of University Admissions at Westfield State University.

A special election for the Massachusetts 16th Worcester Representative District has been called to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative John P. Fresolo.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on August 13. The special general election will follow on September 10.

Fresolo resigned from the House of Representatives on May 22 after a House ethics investigation. The nature of the investigation has not been made public, according to the Boston Globe.

A special election for the Massachusetts Sixth Bristol Representative District has been called to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative David B. Sullivan.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced the special primary election will be held on August 13. The special general election will follow on September 10.

Sullivan resigned his position two weeks ago to become the executive director of the Fall River Housing Authority, according to The Herald News.

The Massachusetts Lobbyist Section of Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office has informed lobbyists it will reinterpret a reporting requirement in order to comply with a court order.

Initially, Secretary of State William Galvin’s office had asserted it had the authority to interpret “all direct business associations with public officials” under state law expansively and require lobbyists disclose the names of all officials with whom a lobbyist has communicated. In reaction, a lawsuit had been brought against the Secretary of State’s office by the ACLU, AirStrategies, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Citizens for Juvenile Justice, Common Cause, and the Conservation Law Foundation. A Superior Court Judge ruled against the secretary.

To comply with the court’s order, the secretary will now require disclosure of the names of public officials to whom a lobbyist has made a lobbying communication only if the lobbyist also has a direct business association with the public official. Following the court’s order, the secretary informed lobbyists this means a joint enterprise or transaction of a commercial or financial nature directly by or between the lobbyist and the public official.

The Lobbyist Section has rescinded all correction and rejection notices inconsistent with this interpretation of business association.