In case you live under a rock, it’s a presidential election year – and it’s an election year during a pandemic. So here is some helpful information for all you voters including deadlines and dates!
Save the dates
Preliminary election is Tuesday, September 1st – General Election is Tuesday, November 3rd.
Who can register to vote?
- To register in Massachusetts you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of Massachusetts
- be at least 16 years old (must be 18 years old to vote on Election Day)
- not have been convicted of corrupt practices in respect to elections
- not be under guardianship with respect to voting
- not be currently incarcerated for a felony conviction
Not a registered voter?
You have until August 22nd to register to vote for preliminary election on September 1st! For the general election, you have until October 24th. You can register online to vote here. You can register by mail to vote in Massachusetts by printing a voter registration form, filling it out, and mailing it to your local election office. You can find the form here.
Vote-by-mail
Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation to expand mail-in and early voting in Massachusetts in July. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is August 26th. The deadline for mail in ballot for the general election is October 28th. You can find an application here
If you were registered to vote by July 1st, you most likely got an application sent to you via mail by the Secretary of State’s office.
Track Your Vote-By-Mail Ballot
Voters who send in their vote-by-mail ballots can use the state’s portal to track their ballots here. For the most up to date information on the status of your ballot application, you can call your local election office.
Vote Early
In Massachusetts there’s an early voting period before the primary election, from Aug. 22 to Aug. 28, and expands general election early voting to run from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30. This is for in-person voting. You can find a list of early voting locations in the City of Boston here! If you’d like to send in your vote by mail ballot, you can do that at anytime before Tuesday, September 1st for preliminary and November 3rd for the general election. You can learn more about this here.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
