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Elections

Absentee Voting

In most elections in Massachusetts, voters can choose whether they would prefer to vote in person or by mail.

Excuse-required absentee voting by mail is available in all elections, to those who qualify. While early Vote by Mail ballots are more common, there are special circumstances where you may need to use the Absentee Ballot application to apply for an absentee ballot instead.

Absentee Ballots

You can vote by absentee ballot if:

  • You will be away from your city or town on Election Day
  • You have a religious belief that prevents you from voting at your polling location on Election Day
  • You have a disability that prevents you from voting at your polling location

Absentee voters use the same ballots as early Vote by Mail voters and have the same deadlines for returning their ballots. Most voters who qualify for an absentee ballot can choose instead to apply for an early Vote by Mail ballot. There are some times that an absentee ballot application is needed.

You should fill out an absentee ballot application if:

  • You qualify for an absentee ballot and you are voting in a local election in a city or town that has opted out of Vote by Mail for that election
  • You are on active military duty
  • You are a U.S. citizen living outside the U.S.
  • You will be away from your city or town on Election Day
  • You are requesting an emergency absentee ballot due to hospitalization
  • You are currently incarcerated for a reason other than a felony conviction

Applying for Your Ballot

To request your absentee ballot, you will need to submit a absentee application to your local election office:

  • By mail
  • By email
  • By fax

Absentee applications can be downloaded or printed here. Further, any written request with your signature is an acceptable application. You can simply write a signed letter to your local election office to apply for your ballot.

Applications can be submitted by mail, email, or fax, but they must include a signature that can be compared to your hand-written signature. Electronic signatures, scanned applications, and photos of applications are acceptable.

Typed signatures on applications cannot be accepted, unless you are a voter who requires accommodations due to physical disability. If you are unable to sign your application or mark your ballot by hand due to a disability, visit our page about voting with disabilities for information on requesting an accommodation.

Application Deadlines

Any mail-in ballot must be requested in writing by 5 p.m. on the 5th business day before the election. Your application can only be accepted if it has reached your local election office by the deadline.

Apply as early as possible, especially if your ballot will need to be mailed out of town. The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing up to 7 days for mail delivery. To ensure you receive your ballot with enough time to mail it back, you should apply 2-3 weeks before Election Day.

Military & Overseas Voters

If you are a U.S citizen residing out of the country or on active military duty, you may use the Federal Post Card Application or the Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application to request your ballot. More information is available on our Voting for Military & Overseas Citizens page.

Emergency Absentee Ballots

If you have been admitted to a healthcare facility within 1 week of the election, you may use the absentee ballot application to designate someone of your choice to deliver a ballot to you. The person you designate to deliver your ballot will need to bring the signed application to your local election office, pick up your absentee ballot, bring it to you, and return it for you by the close of polls on Election Day. Emergency ballots may be requested up until the close of polls.

Accommodations

If you have a disability that prevents you from marking a paper ballot independently, you may qualify to use the Accessible Vote by Mail system. Visit our page for voters with disabilities to find more information and an Accessible Vote by Mail Application.

Returning Your Ballot

There are several options for returning your ballot. You may return your ballot by:

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

For most elections, ballots must reach your local election office by close of polls on Election Day to be counted. In biennial November State Elections, mailed domestic ballots can arrive up to 3 days after Election Day, if they are postmarked by Election Day.

Use our Track My Ballot tool to check the status of your ballot. The tracker will show you the date your ballot was mailed, the date it was returned, and whether your ballot was accepted or rejected.

Voting in Person

You may arrange with your local election official to cast your absentee ballot in person at your local election office until 12 p.m. on the day before the election. If the day before the election is a weekend or holiday, in-person absentee voting will end at 5 p.m. on the last business day before the election.

You can still vote in person at your polling place or an early voting location if you’ve applied for an absentee ballot, as long as you haven’t yet returned the ballot.

You can’t vote in person if your ballot has been accepted by your local election office. You can’t take your ballot back or vote again.

Use our website to track your ballot status. If your ballot hasn’t been accepted by Election Day, you may vote in person at your polling place. If your ballot arrives at your local election office after you’ve voted, the mail-in ballot will be rejected.

Download an Absentee Ballot Application