The next election in Massachusetts is Massachusetts General Election on .
More than 390 positions are up for election ranging from federal positions including President of the United States to local offices like Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School Board - Marion.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.
Get StartedThere may be additional rules or exceptions to the deadlines shown. Please see voting information below for more details.
Online applications must be submitted by
In-person applications must be submitted by
Mail-in applications must be postmarked by
Absentee ballots may be requested in person until
Mail-in requests must be received by
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by
Election Day is
You can register to vote in Massachusetts by using one of the following methods:
The application is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Khmer, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Cyrillic, or Vietnamese.
You can also register to vote on BallotReady.org.
The process of changing your voter registration is similar to registering to vote for the first time. You can update your voter registration online, by mail or in-person. You can also use BallotReady.org to check your voter registration status.
Remember that the deadline to change your voter registration is 20 days before the election.
The identification that you need to register to vote in Massachusetts varies based on the method of registration:
Be prepared to provide your Massachusetts driver's license number. If you do not have a current and valid Massachusetts driver's license, you must provide the last four digits of your social security number. If you have neither, you must indicate 'none' on the application.
Federal law requires that you provide your driver's license number to register to vote. If you do not have a current and valid Massachusetts' driver's license then you must provide the last four (4) digits of your social security number. If you have neither, you must write 'NONE' in the box and a unique identifying number will be assigned to you. If you are registering to vote for the first time in your jurisdiction and are mailing this registration application, Federal law requires you to show proof of identification the first time you vote. Proof of identification includes: a current and valid photo identification or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address. You may be exempt from this requirement if you submit a COPY of this identification with your mail in voter registration form.
You will need your ID issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
If you’re under the age of 18, you may still be eligible to register to vote! If you can pre-register, you’ll need the following documents:
Be prepared to provide your Massachusetts driver's license number. If you do not have a current and valid Massachusetts driver's license, you must provide the last four digits of your social security number. If you have neither, you must indicate 'none' on the application.
Federal law requires that you provide your driver's license number to register to vote. If you do not have a current and valid Massachusetts' driver's license then you must provide the last four (4) digits of your social security number. If you have neither, you must write 'NONE' in the box and a unique identifying number will be assigned to you. If you are registering to vote for the first time in your jurisdiction and are mailing this registration application, Federal law requires you to show proof of identification the first time you vote. Proof of identification includes: a current and valid photo identification or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address. You may be exempt from this requirement if you submit a COPY of this identification with your mail in voter registration form.
You will need your ID issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
For more information on voting requirements for your state, make a plan to vote on BallotReady.org.
Residents of Massachusetts can check their voter registration status through the following methods:
You can also check your voter registration on BallotReady.org.
In Massachusetts, you need to be registered to vote at least 20 days before an election to be eligible to cast a ballot.
For the upcoming Massachusetts General Election, your voter registration application must be:
No, Massachusetts does not have same-day voter registration. This means you cannot register to vote on Election Day. You must register at least 20 days before an election in order to vote.
No, in Massachusetts, you cannot register to vote during early voting. You must register at least 20 days before an election in order to vote.
Massachusetts residents that fit the following criteria are eligible to register to vote:
In Massachusetts, you can register to vote, even if you’re under the age of 18! Future voters who are 16 or 17 may pre-register to vote. They will be eligible to vote for the first election after they turn 18.
Massachusetts gives voters the option to choose a political party when registering to vote. It is not required to register, but choosing “no party preference” could limit your ability to participate in presidential primary elections and caucuses.
Massachusetts does, however, allow for open primaries.
Note: In-person early voting is sometimes referred to as 'in-person absentee', 'over-the-counter voting', 'assisted voting', or other similar titles. These are all essentially the same kind of voting and will be discussed as one in this section.
For the upcoming Massachusetts General Election, any registered voter may vote early in person.
In-person early voting may happen in a variety of locations like county election offices, city halls or municipal buildings, public libraries, schools, and community centers. It’s important to note that the availability of early voting can vary significantly by state or even county. They may also change from election to election, so be sure to check your early voting location before you head to the polls.
You can use BallotReady.org to make a plan to vote early and find a specific in-person early voting location, based on your address.
You may also be able to find information on in-person early voting on Massachusetts’s Secretary of State website.
For the Massachusetts General Election, the dates for in-person early voting are as follows:
Generally, in-person early voting in person begins 11 days before Election Day and ends 4 days before Election Day. However, it’s worth checking the specific early voting dates for upcoming elections, as these dates can change or differ for local elections.
According to the Massachusetts Secretary of State website, you may need to present one of the following forms of ID at a polling place on Election Day to comply with Massachusetts’s voter ID laws:
It’s extremely important to have the appropriate ID when you go to your polling place to vote. However, if you’re not able to present one of the required forms of identification, ask a poll worker about what options you have to vote via provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot gives you the opportunity to vote when your voter registration is not able to be verified. After Election Day, election officials will attempt to verify that you voted in the correct district. This option is only recommended in exceptional circumstances – for example, you forgot your voter ID and you won’t be able to make it back to your polling place before it closes.
Election Day voting hours are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m at all polling places statewide in Massachusetts.
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 states that election officials conducting federal elections must ensure that each polling place has at least one accessible voting system for individuals with disabilities. This system should provide the same level of privacy and independence as those available to other voters.
Plan ahead by getting in touch with an election authority at the state, county, or municipal level to learn more about what specific accommodations are available at your polling place.
For voters in Massachusetts, you can find more information on this page from Massachusetts Secretary of State.
According to the Massachusetts Secretary of State, all registered Massachusetts voters may vote by mail.
If you change your mind about voting by mail after you’ve requested a ballot, you may still vote in-person as long as you have not returned your absentee ballot.
Massachusetts requires voters to pay for their own postage when mailing back their ballot.
You can track your ballot by visiting Massachusetts’s ballot tracker on this site.
If you make a plan to vote on BallotReady.org, you’ll receive information regarding:
In some states, absentee voting information can be different based on where you’re located. In our Civic Center, you’ll learn more about how to vote absentee based on your address.
MA Gen Laws Sec. 25B. Accessed July 25, 2024.
MIT Election Data + Science Lab. Accessed August 1, 2024.
Elections Division | Massachusetts Secretary of State. Accessed August 5, 2024.
Democracy Maps. August 7, 2024.
Massachusetts Voter Portal. August 7, 2024.
Massachusetts Primary Election was held on .
Massachusetts Presidential Primary Election was held on .
Massachusetts General Election was held on .
Massachusetts Primary Election was held on .
Massachusetts General Election was held on .
Massachusetts Primary Election was held on .
Massachusetts Presidential Primary Election was held on .
Massachusetts 2018 General Election was held on .
Massachusetts 2018 Primary Election was held on .
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.