Massachusetts Election Center

• In Person: 20 days before Election Day.
• By Mail: Postmarked 20 days before Election Day.
• Online: 20 days before Election Day.

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To register in Massachusetts you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Massachusetts
• be 18 years old on or before the next election
• not have been convicted of corrupt practices in respect to elections
• not be under guardianship with respect to voting
• not be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction

1. Use our Register to Vote Tool to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

• In Person:
• By Mail: 1 day before Election Day, but we recommend applying at least 7 days before Election Day.
• Online:

You may vote by absentee ballot in Massachusetts if:

• you will be absent from your city or town on Election Day.
• you have a physical disability that prevents you from voting at the polling place.
• you cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs
• you are confined in a correctional facility or jail on something OTHER than a felony charge

Generally, a voter must be registered in order to vote absentee, though several exceptions exist: Those outside of Massachusetts, prisoners, and members of the armed forces or merchant marine, or their spouses or dependents, do not need to be registered in order to vote absentee.

1. Use our Absentee Ballot Tool to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

• Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
• Sign and date where indicated.
• Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
• Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

15 days before Election Day.

4 days before Election Day.

If you are voting in person in Massachusetts, you may need to show ID if one of the following applies to you:

• You’re voting for the first time in Massachusetts
• Your registration status is inactive because you haven’t voted recently
• The poll worker has some reasonable suspicion that leads them to request ID
• You have to complete a provisional or challenged ballot at the polls

If it is your first time voting absentee and you did not submit a photo ID or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, government document that shows your name and address, driver’s license, or last four digits of your social security number with your registration, you will need to submit one of the following with your absentee ballot:

• A copy of a photo ID or
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, government document that shows your name and address