Massachusetts

On Election Day the polls must be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Municipalities can, at their discretion, open polls as early as 5:45 a.m. Voters should contact their local election officials to find out if their polls will be open before 7:00 a.m. on Election Day.

Polling places may be found on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website by entering the voter’s address.

On Election Day, voters should go to their assigned polling place. 

In statewide elections, voters can also vote early at any early voting location in their city or town during the early voting period (early voting is discretionary in local elections and voters should contact their local election office for details on local elections). The early voting period for the November 5, 2024, election is October 19 – November 1, 2024. Voters can find early voting locations and schedules here. 

You are eligible to vote in MA if you’re a U.S. citizen, resident of Massachusetts, 18 years old or older, and not currently incarcerated due to a felony conviction. 

Eligible voters may register online or by downloading and mailing a registration form to their local election office. Voters may also register to vote in person at their local election office. Voters can check their registration status here. 

The registration deadline for the November 5, 2024, general election is October 26, 2024. Registration forms submitted by mail must be postmarked by that date. 

Certain “specially qualified” voters may vote by absentee ballot without first being registered. Those include: (1) military and overseas voters; voters who are incarcerated for something other than a felony conviction; and (3) voters absent from the state.

Massachusetts residents who are 16 years of age and otherwise eligible to vote may pre-register. However, they may not vote until they are 18, except that those who are 17 may vote in primaries provided they will be 18 by the date of the general election. 

Additionally, if a voter becomes a U.S. citizen after the registration deadline, and is otherwise eligible to vote, they may register at their local election office until 4 PM the day before the election.

Mail-in & Absentee Voting

All registered voters can vote early or use a vote-by-mail ballot in all statewide elections. To vote by absentee ballot, a voter must have a qualifying excuse.

Vote by Mail

To vote by mail in a particular election, a voter must first complete and submit a vote-by-mail application. The Commonwealth is legally required to mail a vote-by-mail application to all registered voters before each statewide election. 

If a voter doesn’t receive a vote-by-mail application, or needs another one for some reason, they may also download and print a vote-by-mail application, apply for one online through the Mail-in Ballot Application System, or submit a signed request for one to the local election office.  

A completed vote-by-mail application may be mailed, faxed, emailed, or hand-delivered to the local election office. The vote-by-mail application deadline for the November 5, 2024 election is 5 PM on Tuesday October 29, 2024. The application must reach the local election office by then (regardless of postmark date). 

Voters may return their completed mail-in ballots by mailing them in the envelope provided, hand-delivering them to the local election office or an early voting location during early voting hours, or using a ballot drop box. 

Mail-in ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place on election day, but a voter who requested a mail-in ballot may still opt to vote in person at their polling place. A voter that applied to vote by mail may still vote in person if: (1) they never returned their mail-in ballot; (2) they returned their mail-in ballot but it hasn’t reached their local election office; or (3) their mail-in ballot has been rejected. Voters can track their ballot status here. 

The ballot return deadlines for the November 5, 2024 election depend on the voter’s method of return:

• If you return their ballot in person or by drop box, you must do so by 8 PM on November 5;
• If you return your ballot by domestic mail, it must be postmarked by election day and reach the local election office by 5 PM on November 8, 2024;
• If you return your ballot by mail outside the U.S., it must be postmarked by election day and reach the local election office by 5 PM on November 15, 2024.

State law allows municipalities to opt out of vote-by-mail for local elections. Voters can check with their local election office to see whether their city or town has done so

Absentee Voting

Massachusetts makes a distinction between mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. Mail-in ballots are only mailed to voters’ registered addresses. Absentee ballots can be sent to another address, but only if the voter qualifies to vote absentee. A voter qualifies to vote by absentee ballot if: (1) they will be away from their city or town on election day; (2) they have a religious belief that prevents them from voting in-person on election day; or (3) they have a disability that prevents them from voting in-person. 

A voter admitted to a healthcare facility within 1 week of the election may also use an absentee ballot application to designate someone to deliver their ballot for them. See details here. 
A voter can only vote absentee if they first complete and return an absentee ballot application. To vote absentee in the November 5, 2024 election, the local election office must receive the application by 5 PM on Tuesday October 29, 2024 (regardless of when it is postmarked). The application can be submitted by mail, email, or fax, and can be downloaded or printed from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website in various languages.

Absentee voters can return their ballots by mailing them, hand delivering them to the local election office, or using a ballot drop box. The return deadlines are the same as those that apply to vote-by-mail ballots. Voters that have requested an absentee ballot can still vote in-person on election day if they haven’t returned their absentee ballot, or it hasn’t been accepted at their local election office. Voters can track their ballot status here. 

The Commonwealth provides a list of situations in which voters should vote by absentee ballot instead of a vote-by-mail ballot.

Municipalities are required to provide in-person early voting locations to their residents in all statewide elections. Voters can vote at any early voting location in their city or town during the early voting period. For the November 5, 2024 election, the early voting period is October 19 – November 1, 2024. Voters can find early voting locations and schedules here. 
Municipalities have discretion to provide early voting for local elections, but it is not required. For more information on local elections, voters should contact their local election office.

Early Voting  

Municipalities are required to provide in-person early voting locations to their residents in all statewide elections. Voters can vote at any early voting location in their city or town during the early voting period. For the November 5, 2024 election, the early voting period is October 19 – November 1, 2024. Voters can find early voting locations and schedules here. 
Municipalities have discretion to provide early voting for local elections, but it is not required. For more information on local elections, voters should contact their local election office.

In Massachusetts, there is no generally applicable requirement for voters to show ID at their polling place. 

However, an election official may ask a voter to show ID in a few limited circumstances, including when :

• The voter is voting for the first time in Massachusetts;
• The voter is on the inactive voter list because they failed to respond to their local annual census or to a follow-up inquiry from local election officials;
• The voter is casting a provisional or challenged ballot; or
• The poll worker has a practical and legal reason to ask for identification.

ID must include the voter’s name and the address where they are registered to vote. Examples include current and valid (not expired) photo identification, such as a driver’s license or state ID, recent utility bill, rent receipt or lease, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document.

If a voter is asked to show ID because it’s their first time voting but they don’t have an acceptable ID, the voter must be given the opportunity to vote by provisional ballot. If a voter casts a provisional ballot because they lack ID, the voter must return to the polling place with acceptable identification before the polling place closes or the ballot will not be counted.

If a voter needs to show ID for any other reason and can’t, they can cast a challenged ballot. Information on the challenged ballot will include the voter’s name and address, the challenger’s name and address, and the reason for the challenge. The challenged ballot will be cast as normal and only examined if there is a recount, court order, or audit.

Voters must update their voter registration every time they move. Voters should update their address by submitting a new voter registration form prior to the registration deadline—10 days before any election (August 24, 2024, for the primary, or October 26, 2024, for the general election). If a voter misses the deadline, the voter may vote at their old polling location for state and national (not local) elections, for up to 6 months after they move so long as they have not registered elsewhere. But, if the move was more than 6 months prior to the election, they may not vote.

The Federal Voter Assistance Program and Massachusetts law establish special procedures to facilitate voting by citizens residing outside the U.S., and members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Merchant Marine (including the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and NOAA), along with their family members, who are stationed away from their Massachusetts voting residence.  Military and overseas voters are exempt from voter registration requirements in Massachusetts and, generally, are only required to submit an absentee ballot application.

Voting Residence

Military voters may use either (a) the address in the United States where they were last registered to vote or (b) their address at the time of enlisting. Overseas voters may use their last residence in the United States to register for an absentee ballot, or if they have never lived in the United States, their parent’s last United States address. 

Registration and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Military and overseas voters do not have to be registered to receive a ballot. They can apply for a ballot using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), the Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application (NOT the Mail-in Ballot Application), or by sending a written request for an absentee ballot to their local election office. The ballot must be requested by the deadline for requesting a mail ballot: 5:00 p.m., on the 5th business day before Election Day. The application may be scanned and faxed or emailed to the voter’s local election office.
Absentee ballot applications are valid until December 31 of the year they are submitted. Voters must submit a new absentee ballot application each calendar year. Voters who have missed the deadline may be able to use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot

Receiving an Absentee Ballot

Military or overseas voters may receive their blank absentee ballots by mail, fax, or an online portal. The Federal Post Card Application has a box for voters to check how they wish to receive their ballot.

Ballot Return Voters can also choose to return their ballot by email/online, fax, or mail. Ballot deadlines are different depending on the type of election and how the ballot is returned. For the Primary, the ballot must be received by the close of polls on election day (8:00, September 3).  For the General Election, ballots returned electronically must be received by the close of polls on election

day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by election day and received within three days (November 8) if mailed within the U.S. and within ten days (November 15) if mailed from outside the U.S.

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (“FWAB”) is a back-up ballot that can be used by military or overseas voters. It is a blank ballot, which voters may use to vote for any candidate or ballot question. If the voter does not receive their regular ballot in time, they may use the FWAB. It may be used even if the voter has not applied for a ballot. It may be submitted by mail, email or fax, and must be received by the voter’s local voting officials in Massachusetts no later than noon on Election Day. 

Felony Convictions

Persons currently incarcerated for a felony cannot vote. However, their voting rights are automatically restored upon release from incarceration. People on parole or probation, even for a felony, can vote. A person previously incarcerated for a felony must re-register after completing their sentence before they can vote.

Currently Incarcerated Voters

A person who is incarcerated for a felony may not vote. Individuals incarcerated for other reasons, including civil commits, misdemeanor convictions, and pretrial detention—may vote by absentee (not mail) ballot. If a voter is incarcerated, they do not need to first register to vote absentee. Instead, the voter can vote by absentee ballot as a “specially qualified voter.”