Voting Guide

Registration Deadlines and Election Dates

Voter Registration Deadline: 20 days before Election Day

2022

• Primary Election Registration Deadline: August 17

• Primary Election: September 6

• General Election Registration Deadline: October 19

• General Election: November 8

Official Election Websites

More  election information at:

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/

Online voter registration available at:

www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/

Mail-in voter registration available at:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm

Register at School or Home

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

Massachusetts’ mail-in voter registration form asks for your Massachusetts driver’s license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.

To complete your voter registration online, you must have a Massachusetts-issued driver’s license or ID number.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

Massachusetts does not require ID to vote.

Where Do I Vote?

Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at:

www.wheredoivotema.com/

How Can I Vote?

If you are a registered Massachusetts voter, you may vote absentee if you will be absent from your town or city on Election Day, have a physical disability that prevents you from voting at the polling place, or cannot vote at the polls on Election Day because of your religious beliefs.

Absentee ballots must be requested in writing. Applications can be submitted by mail, email, fax, or in-person and must be received by your local election office by the 4th business day before Election Day. Voters can also request an absentee ballot by writing a letter to their local election office that includes their name, the address associated with their registration, the address to which the ballot should be sent, and signature.

Completed ballots can be returned by mail, in person, or via secure drop box and must be received by close of polls on Election Day.

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.

Common Questions/Concerns

Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:

Federal Financial Aid

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Tuition Status

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in Massachusetts affect my driver’s license or car registration?

As a new resident of Massachusetts, you may be required to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license or update your car registration, regardless of whether you register to vote there. For more information, you may wish to contact the Massachusetts Department of Motor Vehicles.