Massachusetts Election Center

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

Absentee ballot application deadline:

Received by noon on the day before Election Day - but highly recommended that you apply at least one month before Election Day.

Voted ballots are due:

Received by the close of polls on Election Day

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 your voting at the polling place.
• you cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs
• you are confined in a correctional facility or jail (but NOT on 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.

2016 will be the first year that Massachusetts offers early voting. Early voting starts 11 business days before Election Day.

Early voting ends 2 business days before Election Day.

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

Absentee voters do not need to provide ID.