Voting Guide

By Mail: Massachusetts allows any registered voter to request a Vote by Mail Ballot for most elections. To apply, you may submit a signed application to your local election office onlineor by mail, email, or fax.

• Mail-in Ballot Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the 5th business day prior to Election Day; however, apply as soon as possible to allow enough time to receive, complete, and return your ballot. You may access the online application or a pdf paper application to be submitted by mail, email, or fax through the below links.

• Completed Mail-in Ballot Return Deadline: Your ballot must be received by your local election office by the close of polls on Election Day. Ballots may be returned by mail, by hand to your local election office or early voting site, or by returning it to a ballot drop box. Please note that Vote by Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day. You must use one of the above-described return methods.

Use the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Track My Ballot tool to check the status of your ballot, including the date it was mailed, the date it was returned, and whether your ballot was accepted or rejected.

Absentee Voting: Although Vote by Mail ballots are more common and may be used by any voter, there are some instances where a smaller number of qualified voters may vote by absentee ballot instead. All registration and ballot return deadlines are the same for absentee ballots as they are for Vote by Mail ballots. Please refer to those rules outlined in the Mail-in section above.

You are eligible to vote by absentee ballot if:

• You will be away from your city or town on Election Day, including voters who are on active military duty, living outside the U.S., incarcerated for a reason other than a felony conviction, attending institutions of higher education, among others;

• You have a religious belief that prevents you from voting at your polling location on Election Day;

• You have a disability that prevents you from voting at your polling location.

Election Day: Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for statewide elections, but some municipalities may open their polling places earlier. Contact your local clerk to verify polling hours. If you are in line by the time polls close, you have a right to vote.