Election Day is just a few weeks away. Deadlines, rules and ballot questions differ in every state.
Here's what you need to know to plan your vote if you live in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts election deadlines
Timeline of important election deadlines:
Oct. 11
- Local early voting schedule becomes available
Oct.19
- Early voting period begins
Oct. 26
- Deadline to register to vote in person, by mail and online
Oct. 29
- The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot
Nov. 1
- Early voting period ends
Nov. 5 – Election Day
- Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. statewide.
- Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by this day in order to be counted.
How to register to vote in Massachusetts
If you’re not registered to vote, you can register by mail, online or in person at your local election office.
Most applications ask you to confirm your citizenship, provide your full name, address and date of birth. Additionally, they ask for a driver’s license or social security number. You are asked to provide your party enrollment or designation.
If you want to be eligible to vote on Election Day, you must register by Saturday, Oct. 26.
You cannot register on Election Day in Massachusetts.
How to vote by mail in Massachusetts
If you are unable to vote in person in Massachusetts on Election Day or during the early voting period, you can vote by mail. You don't need a reason or a witness to vote by mail, but you must return your ballot before the polls close on Election Day.
The office of the Secretary of State William Francis Galvin suggests applying as early as possible, especially if your ballot needs to be mailed. The office recommends allowing up to seven days for delivery and applying two or three weeks before Election Day.
There are several options to return a mail-in ballot. You can mail it back using the envelope provided, hand deliver it to your local election office, drop it off at an early voting location during early voting hours or use a ballot drop box.
How does early voting work in Massachusetts?
You may also consider voting early in person. The early voting period offers voters the ability to vote before Election Day and usually in a less crowded location. Currently 47 states, including Massachusetts, allow early in-person voting.
The early voting period in Massachusetts begins on Oct. 19 and ends on Nov. 1. There is no appointment or application required to vote early in person, you can just visit your local early voting location.
Lines may be longer on the first and last days of early voting, so Galvin’s office recommends going on off hours.
Each city and town in the state must offer at least one early voting location. The locations will be posted on the website of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at least one week before the early voting period begins.
Massachusetts ballot questions
There are five questions on the ballot for Massachusetts voters to decide on.
Massachusetts Question 1: Should the auditor be allowed to investigate the state legislature?
- Every four years, voters elect a state auditor, who ensures that state agencies follow existing laws and regulations, according to Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis. Even if the question passes, the auditor still will not be able to oversee votes, debates, committee assignments or policy priorities, which are all seen as “core legislative functions.”
Massachusetts Question 2: Eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement.
- Question 2 would eliminate the requirement that students need to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) to graduate high school, but still require students to complete coursework that meets state standards.
Massachusetts Question 3: A union for rideshare drivers
- Question 3 asks whether Transportation Network Drivers should have the right to form unions.
Massachusetts Question 4: Legalizing psychedelic drugs
- Question 4 would allow people 21 and over to grow, possess and use certain natural psychedelic substances. It would be two substances found in mushrooms and three substances found in plants.
Massachusetts Question 5: Minimum wage increase for tipped workers
- Question 5 asks if employers should have to gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped work over the course of five years.
What is the key race in Massachusetts?
On Nov. 5, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) and attorney John Deaton (R) will compete for Warren's current seat on the U.S. Senate.
Warren did not face an opponent in the primary election. Deaton secured his spot against Warren and hopes to unseat her as this would be her third term.
Deaton classifies himself as a “small government, fiscally-conservative, socially moderate Republican," while Warren has fought for progressive change nationally.
