Voting in Massachusetts: Difference between revisions
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*[[#Voter registration|'''Voter registration details''']], including methods of registering and requirements | *[[#Voter registration|'''Voter registration details''']], including methods of registering and requirements | ||
*[[#Voting in elections|'''Details on voting in elections''']], including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type | *[[#Voting in elections|'''Details on voting in elections''']], including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type | ||
*[[#Absentee voting|'''Absentee voting''']] rules | *[[#Absentee voting|'''Absentee/mail-in voting''']] rules{{AbsenteeVotingFootnote}} | ||
*[[#Early voting|'''Early voting''']] rules | *[[#Early voting|'''Early voting''']] rules | ||
*[[#Convicted felons' voting rights|'''Convicted felons' voting rights''']] | *[[#Convicted felons' voting rights|'''Convicted felons' voting rights''']] | ||
Revision as of 15:45, 19 March 2021
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| Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its election administration. |
Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
This page includes the following:
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[1]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
Voter registration
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Massachusetts, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Massachusetts, and at least 18 years old on or before Election Day.[2]
The deadline for registration is 10 days prior to the election. A voter can register online, by mail, or in person at any registration office or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. A form of identification is required to register. The following are acceptable forms of identification:[2]
- Valid driver's license
- State-issued identification card
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Paystub
- Government-issued check
- Any other government document displaying the voter's name and address
Automatic registration
Massachusetts automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, division of medical assistance, health insurance connector authority, and other agencies that collect what state law defines as reliable citizenship information.[3]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Massachusetts has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[4]
Same-day registration
Massachusetts does not allow same-day voter registration.[4]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Massachusetts, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.[2]
Verification of citizenship
Massachusetts does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, the penalty for an illegal registration is a "fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years or both."[5]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[6] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The Elections and Voting page, run by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting, in most cases.[7]
The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[8]
These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.
Voters will also be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:
| “ | ” |
The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2025:
- A driver's license
- A state ID card
- A recent utility bill
- A rent receipt or lease.
- A copy of a voter registration affidavit
- A letter from a school dormitory or housing office
- Any other printed identification which contains your name and address
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Massachusetts, most polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. However, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[10]
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Massachusetts
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Massachusetts utilizes a semi-closed primary system where voters who are affiliated with a political party and unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary.[11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
Any eligible voter has the option to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot in all elections.[12]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Massachusetts permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In Massachusetts, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights upon completion of their incarceration.[13]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[4]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[14]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Noteworthy events
2018
Massachusetts adopts automatic voter registration legislation
On August 9, 2018, Governor Charles D. Baker (R) signed H. 4834, a bill providing for automatic voter registration, into law. The bill cleared the state Senate on July 30, 2018, by a vote of 36 to 0. The House approved the bill by a vote of 134 to 16 on July 27, 2018. The bill mandated that eligible citizens be automatically registered to vote whenever they conduct transactions at the state Registry of Motor Vehicles or through the state Medicaid program. The bill's provisions were set to take effect on January 1, 2020. Massachusetts became the 14th state to enact automatic voter registration.[15][16]
Voter registration deadline upheld by state supreme court
On July 2, 2018, the state supreme court voted 7 to 0 to reverse a lower state court ruling striking down Massachusetts' 20-day voter registration deadline, upholding the constitutionality of that deadline. On July 24, 2017, Judge Douglas Wilkins of the Suffolk County Superior Court ruled that Massachusetts' voter registration deadline, occurring 20 days prior to Election Day, violated the state constitution. Galvin appealed the ruling to the state supreme court, which scheduled oral argument in the case to take place on March 6, 2018.[17][18][19][20]
2014
On May 22, 2014, Governor Deval Patrick (D) signed into law a bill that overhauled the state's voting laws. The legislation allowed for no-excuse early voting to take place beginning 11 days before an election. The legislation also established an online voter registration system. The law took effect in 2016.[21][22]
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Massachusetts can contact the following state and federal agencies.
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
- Secretary of the Commonwealth
- One Ashburton Place, Room 1705
- Boston, Massachusetts 02108
- Telephone: 1-800-462-VOTE (8683)
- Fax: 617-742-3238
- Website: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/
- Email: elections@sec.state.ma.us
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
- Website: https://www.eac.gov/
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Question 2, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2020)
- Massachusetts Question 17, Biennial Elections for State Officers and Legislators Amendment (1918)
- Massachusetts Question 2, Allow Women to Hold Public Office Amendment (1924)
- Massachusetts Question 2, Party Candidate Nominating Conventions Initiative (1932)
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Massachusetts state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Massachusetts voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts elections, 2018
- Massachusetts elections, 2017
- Massachusetts elections, 2016
- Massachusetts elections, 2015
- Massachusetts elections, 2014
- Massachusetts elections, 2013
- Massachusetts elections, 2012
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voter Registration Information," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Governing, “Automatic Voter Registration Gains Bipartisan Momentum,” accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 26, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Official Mail-in Voter Registration Form," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed October 7, 2025
- ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "The Voting Process," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Massachusetts Legislature, "Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 38," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voting by Mail," accessed July 18, 2022
- ↑ Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Can Felons Vote in Massachusetts?" accessed August 26, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Mass. governor signs automatic voter registration bill into law," August 9, 2018
- ↑ General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Bill H.4834," accessed August 15, 2018
- ↑ The Boston Globe, "Judge rules state’s voter registration deadline is unconstitutional," July 24, 2017
- ↑ Suffolk County Superior Court, "Chelsea Collaborative et al. v. Galvin et al.," July 24, 2017
- ↑ Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court of Massachusetts, "Chelsea Collaborative, Inc. and others v. William F. Galvin," accessed February 5, 2018
- ↑ Reuters, "Massachusetts top court upholds 20-day voter registration cut-off," July 2, 2018
- ↑ ThinkProgress, "Massachusetts on Cusp of Passing Major Voting Rights Expansion," January 17, 2014
- ↑ MassLive.com, "Massachusetts Senate approves early voting bill," January 16, 2014
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