Voting Information
Official voting information is available from your Town (or City) Clerk and from the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Most questions can be answered at one or both locations.
The Town Clerk is authorized by state law and local statute to administer elections and all election-related processes and responsibilities for all elections. For North Shore cities and towns, links to each town/city hall and to each town/city clerk are found in the DTCs section of this Website.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has information on the following topics (Link):- Register to Vote
- Update My Voter Registration
- Check My Voter Information
- Apply to Vote by Mail
- Track My Mail-in Ballot
- Find a Drop Box
- Find My Polling Place
- View Upcoming Elections
- Contact My Election Official [Town/City Clerks]
- Visit Elections & Voting Websites
Automatic Voter Registration
As of January 1, 2020, if you are a Massachusetts citizen conducting certain transactions through the Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth, or the Commonwealth Health Connector and you do not opt out of registering to vote, you will automatically become registered to vote.
Link
Voter Registration Status
Once registered, you will remain on the list of voters so long as you vote regularly and complete and return the annual municipal census. If you move to another city or town, you must re-register in your new community. If in doubt, check your Voter Registration at the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Website.
I Will Vote
This service, paid for by the Democratic National Committee, provides information on voting*:
- Check if I'm registered to vote
- Register to vote
- Vote by mail
- Learn more about voting
Go to:
*Services provided may vary depending on your state.
Vote by Mail
Massachusetts voters now have the option to vote early by mail in all elections, with no excuse required. An application to vote by mail may be obtained from your Town Clerk.
Note that mail-in voting has several deadlines:
- Deadline to request a Vote by Mail Application.
- Deadline to return a completed Vote by Mail Application.
- Deadline to return the actual Ballot containing your votes.
If you miss any of these deadlines, you will not be successful in voting by mail. We suggest that you plan to vote early and not run up against any of these deadlines:
- Request an application early.
- Return a completed application early.
- Return the completed ballot early.
Absentee Ballots
Excuse-required absentee voting by mail is available in all elections, to those who qualify. For details and to request an absentee ballot, see the Voting by Mail page on the Massachusetts Website.
Link
Early In-Person Voting
Check with your Town Clerk for dates, times, and locations of early in-person voting.
Voter ID
Any person who is a Massachusetts resident, a United States citizen and will be eighteen years old by the next election is eligible to register to vote. You do not need a driver’s license or any other form of identification to register. However, when you sign the registration form, you must attest, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you are legally eligible to register and that the information you provide is accurate and truthful. The penalty for fraudulent registration increased recently to a fine of ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to five years, or both
Political Party Affiliation
When you register, you may choose to become a member of a political party, select a designation for a political organization which has not achieved party status in the state or choose to become an "unenrolled" voter (commonly referred to as "independent"). Remember that if you register in a party or select a political organization designation, in a primary election you only may receive a ballot for that party. Unenrolled voters may request any ballot in a primary election.