Everything you need to know about voting in Massachusetts
From registering to early voting to what to take to the polls.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, just four weeks away. Early voting in Massachusetts starts on Monday, October 24, which is in less than two weeks. If you plan on taking part in either one, it’s important to make sure you’re registered to vote. The deadline to register is Wednesday, October 19.
Unlike some other states, Massachusetts does not have same-day voter registration. That means you can’t just show up on Election Day and request a ballot. However, registering to vote is relatively easy and quick.
First, look online here to find out if you’re already registered by simply entering you name, birth date, and zip code. Chances are that if you voted in a previous election (including the presidential primary this past March) in Massachusetts, you already are.
You can register three ways in Massachusetts: online, by mail, and in person.
To register online, you must have either a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or non-driver ID from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you do, click over to the state’s online voter registration application and enter your information.
If you don’t have any form of signature or ID registered with the Massachusetts RMV, you can still use the online voter registration to fill out a form. However, you’ll have to print it out and either mail it or take it in-person to your local election official. The state website has a town-by-town directory of the local offices with addresses and contact information.
In order to meet the deadline, mailed-in registration forms must be postmarked by October 19, according to the secretary of state’s website, whereas forms completed in-person at a local election office must be signed by that date.
The state’s website also notes that in-person voter registration is “also available as part of every transaction at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and at certain public assistance agencies.”
Once you’re registered, there are a few additional things to know in advance of Election Day.
The first is identification requirements. While Massachusetts does not have as strict voter identification laws as some states, some voters may be asked to show a form of identification at the polls. According to the state’s website, reasons for this include:
- 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 him or her to request identification.
Acceptable identification includes 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 that contains your name and the address at which you are registered to vote.
As mentioned earlier, Massachusetts will have early voting this year.
This allows those who may be busy or working throughout Election Day to cast their ballots beforehand. (As of 2016, 34 states have some form of no-excuse early voting; six states have in-person absentee early voting.)
Massachusetts’s early voting period begins October 24 and ends November 4. To find out where and when you can cast your ballot each day during that period, you can look up your town or city here, on the state’s website. (Note: Voting hours vary depending on the day and town.)
Lastly, if you plan to vote on November 8, it may be helpful to know your polling location in advance, as many towns have multiple locations. How can you find out that information? How else, but by entering your name and address on the state’s website.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com