2024 MASSACHUSETTS VOTER GUIDE

     

    1.Voter Registration

    Deadline to Register/Update: October 26, 2024

    REGISTER TO VOTE

     

    2. Check Your Registration

    Why check your registration? Your address is where election officials send notices, application forms to receive your ballot in the mail, and more. Additionally, poll workers will check if the address on your voter registration matches the address on your ID at the polls.

    Check Your Registration Online

    Update Your Registration Online

    Checklist:

    • Is your name spelled correctly? (Correct hyphenations, middle initials, etc)
    • Correct Address
    • Active Voter Status (if not update by sending in another online/mail voter application)
    • Correct Date of Birth
    • Correct Political Party Preference
    • Take a time-stamped photograph or screenshot of your registration, and take it with you to the polls as proof of your registration.

     

    3. Voter ID Law

    Source: Ballotpedia

    Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting in most cases.

    Voters who are not able to present ID while voting may cast a provisional ballot. For a provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must return with ID before the close of polls.

    Forms of Accepted IDs

    Voters will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:

    • You are voting for the first time in Massachusetts in a federal election;
    • You are an inactive voter;
    • You are casting a provisional or challenged ballot;
    • The poll worker has a reasonable suspicion that leads them to request identification.

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

    Acceptable identification must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote. Examples of acceptable identification include: a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, recent utility bill, rent receipt, lease, a copy of a voter registration affidavit, or any other printed identification which contains the voter’s name and address.

    Provisional ballot rules

    Voters in Massachusetts are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.[3]

    (1) If the voter’s name does not appear on the list at the polling place, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    (2) If in a party primary, the voter believes he or she is incorrectly listed as belonging to a certain party, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.[4]

    (3) If the voter does not show proper identification the first time he or she is voting, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

    Was your provisional ballot counted?

    “If a provisional voter is determined to be registered, their ballot is unsealed and counted; if the voter is determined to be ineligible to vote, the ballot is destroyed without being examined,” according to the secretary of state’s website.[3]

    Contact the Massachusetts Elections Division at 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) to check the status of your provisional ballot.

    “State law requires that local election officials resolve all provisional ballots within three days of a state or presidential primary and within twelve days of a state or local election. All provisional ballots are investigated and those found to be cast by eligible voters are counted, no matter how close the election may be,” according to the secretary of state’s website.

     

    4. Order Your Absentee Mail Ballot

    Deadline for Absentee Mail Ballot application: Must be received by 5:00 pm on October 26, 2024

    We recommend requesting your absentee mail ballot as soon as possible and well in advance of this deadline in order to ensure that you receive your ballot in time.

    Request Mail-in Ballot

    Mail Ballots may be mailed or delivered by hand to your local board of elections by 8pm on Election Day. You may also take it to an early voting center or a polling place by the time the polls close https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/voter-resources/find-my-local-election-office.htm

    Track Mail-in Ballot

    Deadline to return Absentee Mail Ballot: must be postmarked by November 5, 2024

    Hand-delivered: no later than 8:00 pm on November 5, 2024

    There are several options for returning your ballot. You may return your ballot by:

     

    5. Early Voting Information

     

    6. Become a Poll Worker!

     

    7. Additional Questions?

    https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/elections-and-voting.htm