Massachusetts

Provisional ballots are counted 12 days after the election.

You may cast a provisional ballot if you run into the following situations at the polls.

Your name is not on the list. If you believe you're registered to vote, are at the correct polling place but your name does not appear on the voting list. You can ask the poll worker to contact the city or town hall to confirm your registration. If your registration is not verifiable, you may cast a provisional ballot.

Early voting is currently available in Massachusetts only for statewide general elections on even-numbered years.  When available, early voting begins 11 days before and ends 2 days before Election Day.

You may vote by absentee ballot if you:

To be eligible to vote in Massachusetts, you must be:

• A US citizen
• A resident of Massachusetts
• At least 18 years old on or before Election Day (you can pre-register to vote at age 16)
• Not be under legal guardianship with respect to voting, in prison for a felony, or convicted of election fraud (even if the prison term is completed)

If you have questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

For all elections, except local elections, the polls must be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Some polling places may open earlier than 7:00 am. If you are in line at the polls by 8:00 pm, you are entitled to vote. For the polling hours in a local election please contact your local election officials.

In order to be a poll worker in Massachusetts:

You can now register online! If you have a valid driver's license, learner's permit or non-driver ID issues through the Massachusetts RMV you can register using this page. If you do not have these forms of ID you can still use this page to fill out your form, print and mail the application to the appropriate election official.

You must register to vote at least 20 days before an election, 10 days before a special town meeting.

To verify your voter registration status, please click here.

If you are voting for the first time in MA in a federal election, are an inactive voter or are casting a provisional or challenged ballot, you may be asked to provide ID at the polls. You are also required to show an ID if you're voting for the first time in MA after registering by mail and did not include a copy of your ID in your mailed in registration form.

Acceptable forms of ID are: