Massachusetts 'No Excuse' Vote By Mail: How To Get A Ballot For This Fall's Elections

Massachusetts voters can choose to cast a ballot in person or by mail in most elections, with "no-excuse" early voting by mail available for state elections, state primaries, presidential primaries and most local elections.

These ballots are called Vote by Mail ballots and are automatically sent to registered voters. They can also be requested with a Vote by Mail application.

Voters can apply online, by mail, or by email or fax.

The online system is available only to registered voters, and voter registration changes must be reviewed and certified by a local election official before they become effective.

A pre-addressed, postage-prepaid Vote by Mail application is sent to every registered voter before each statewide election.

The mailing goes out 45 days before each statewide election, as required by state law, unless a voter has already applied to vote by mail for the upcoming election.

With the statewide primary set for Sept. 1, those ballots should have arrived in mailboxes for residents across the state in recent days and weeks.

Voters who need another application can download one or send any signed request to their local election office.

Applications sent by email or fax must include a signature that can be compared to the voter's handwritten signature. Electronic signatures, scanned applications and photos of applications are acceptable.

A typed signature cannot be accepted unless the voter needs an accommodation because of a physical disability.

The deadline is strict.

A mail-in application must reach local election officials by 5 p.m. on the fifth business day before the election. Postmark dates do not extend that deadline.

The Postal Service recommendation included in the guidance says voters should allow up to seven days for mail delivery, and the state advises applying two to three weeks before Election Day.

Voters have several ways to return a ballot. They can mail it back in the provided envelope, hand-deliver it to the local election office, drop it off at an early voting location during early voting hours, or use a ballot drop box.

Ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day.

A ballot must reach the local election office or a drop box by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted. The guidance notes one exception for ballots returned by mail in the biennial state election in November, when three extra days are allowed for ballots postmarked by Election Day.

Voters who applied to vote by mail may still vote in person in some cases, including if they never returned the ballot, if it has not reached the local election office, or if it was rejected.

Voters can track when a ballot was mailed, returned, accepted or rejected through the state’s Track My Ballot tool.

For local elections, cities and towns may opt out of no-excuse Vote by Mail after a public hearing and recorded vote at least 45 days before the election.