Election administration in Massachusetts
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies and methods of enforcing them. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Massachusetts:
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.[2]
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.[3]
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:[3]
- 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.[4]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Massachusetts has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Massachusetts does not allow same-day voter registration.
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.
Verification of citizenship
Massachusetts does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
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.
Early and absentee voting policy
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Massachusetts permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
Any eligible voter has the option to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot in all elections.[5]
Returning absentee ballots
Absentee ballots must be returned to the voter’s local election official no later than the close of the polls on Election Day. A voter can also vote absentee in his or her local election official’s office. This can be arranged by contacting the voter’s local election office. A family member is also able to deliver an absentee ballot for the voter.[5][6]
Signature requirements and cure provisions
Massachusetts has a cure provision, or a law providing for a process where election officials follow up with voters whose absentee ballots contain a signature discrepancy or lack the requisite signatures. The voter is notified if his or her signature is missing or incorrect in some way. The voter is notified prior to Election Day and is sent a new ballot if time allows. The voter can then submit a new ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.[7]
Voter identification requirements
- See also: Voter ID in Massachusetts
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting, in most cases.[8]
However, voters will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:
| “ | ” |
The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2022. Click here for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
| “ | Acceptable identification must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote. Examples of acceptable identification include: a driver's license, state-issued ID card, recent utility bill, rent receipt, lease, a copy of a voter registration affidavit, or any other printed identification which contains the voter's name and address.[9] | ” |
Background
As of August 2023, 34 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[10][11]
Provisional balloting for voters without ID
Voters who are not able to present ID while voting may cast a provisional ballot. For a provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must return with ID before the close of polls.[8] See below for provisional ballot rules.
Provisional ballot rules
Voters in Massachusetts are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.[12]
(1) If the voter’s name does not appear on the list at the polling place, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
(2) If in a party primary, the voter believes he or she is incorrectly listed as belonging to a certain party, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.[13]
(3) If the voter does not show proper identification the first time he or she is voting, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.
Was your provisional ballot counted?
"If a provisional voter is determined to be registered, their ballot is unsealed and counted; if the voter is determined to be ineligible to vote, the ballot is destroyed without being examined," according to the secretary of state’s website.[12]
Contact the Massachusetts Elections Division at 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) to check the status of your provisional ballot.
"State law requires that local election officials resolve all provisional ballots within three days of a state or presidential primary and within twelve days of a state or local election. All provisional ballots are investigated and those found to be cast by eligible voters are counted, no matter how close the election may be," according to the secretary of state’s website.[12]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
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. An unaffiliated voter is allowed to vote in the primary election of his or her choice.[14]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Time off work for voting
In Massachusetts, employers in certain industries must grant time off upon request for the two hours after the opening of polls:
| “ | No owner, superintendent or overseer in any manufacturing, mechanical or mercantile establishment shall employ or permit to be employed therein any person entitled to vote at an election, during the period of two hours after the opening of the polls in the voting precinct, ward or town in which such person is entitled to vote, if he shall make application for leave of absence during such period.[15][9] | ” |
As of 2020, 28 states had laws requiring employers to provide time off for voting under certain conditions.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In Massachusetts, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights upon completion of their incarceration.[16]
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.[17]
Voter list maintenance
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[18] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[19]
When names can be removed from the voter list
Massachusetts law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:[20]
- remains on the inactive voter list through two biennial state elections.
- dies
- confirms in writing that they have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction
- is proven to have registered to vote in two separate jurisdictions.
Inactive voter list rules
Massachusetts law requires election officials to prepare an annual list of all registered voters in each town or city for that year. Elections officials are to cross-reference this list with an annually compiled list of all individuals residing in a town or city. Election officials are to contact all individuals not added to the annual list of registered voters and send them a confirmation notice. These individuals are placed on an inactive voter list until they respond and verify their voting status or are removed after not voting in two biennial state elections.[21]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records, to provide member states with detailed reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Each state pays annual dues, which are determined by a formula approved by the ERIC membership. The formula includes a state's citizen voting age population as a factor."[22]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of August 2023, 26 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[23]
As of April 2023, Massachusetts was participating in the ERIC program.
Noteworthy events
2022
Massachusetts establishes no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting, in-person early voting
On June 22, 2022, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed Senate Bill 2924, also known as the VOTES Act, into law, making a number of changes to the state's election laws, including the following:[24]
- Allowing all voters to cast absentee/mail-in ballots;
- Establishing in-person early voting for two weeks before state general elections and one week before presidential and state primary elections; and
- Moving the voter registration deadline from 20 days before Election Day to 10 days before Election Day.
Absentee/mail-in voting, in-person, and early voting upheld by state supreme court
The Massachusetts GOP Chair filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin (D) about SB 2924, saying that it violated a provision in the state's constitution that only allowed voters to vote by mail if they were out of town, physically disabled, or had religious-based conflicts. The lawsuit also argued that absentee ballots accessed for other reasons were more susceptible to fraud. The plaintiffs requested that the court prevent the implementation of the VOTES Act.[25]
On July 11, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that SB 2924 was not in violation of the Massachusetts Constitution, which resulted in the law being upheld.[26]
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.[27][28]
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.[29][30][31][32]
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.[33][34]
Post-election auditing
Massachusetts state law requires post-election audits. The secretary of state selects the precincts to be audited, and the board of registrars or election commission conducts the audit on 3 percent of all precincts. Audits are only conducted after presidential elections and must be completed no later than 14 days after the election. "If there is a discrepancy that reasonably leads to doubt about the outcome of the election or systemic failure to accurately count ballots, the Secretary of State may order audits of additional precincts, offices or ballot questions as necessary to ensure that the outcome of the election is accurate and that the cause of the systemic failure is identified."[35]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[17][36]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of December 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia required some form of post-election audit. Of these, 36 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, three states required risk-limiting post-election audits, and two states required procedural post-election audits.[37]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Candidate Television and Radio Time Advisory, Question 6 (1990)
- Massachusetts Campaign Expenditures Question (1974)
- Massachusetts Taxpayer Funding for Political Campaigns Advisory, Question 3 (2002)
- Massachusetts Campaign Finance Reform Initiative, Question 2 (1998)
- Massachusetts Ballot Campaign Finance Regulation Initiative, Question 1 (1994)
- Massachusetts Fusion Voting Initiative, Question 2 (2006)
- Massachusetts Candidate Nomination Procedures, Question 2 (1932)
- Massachusetts Political Parties and Nominations Initiative, Question 4 (1990)
- Massachusetts Voter Qualification for State Offices, Question 1 (1924)
- Massachusetts U.S. President and Vice-President Term Commencements, Question 3 (1932)
- Massachusetts Special Elections for Constitutional Offices, Question 3 (1948)
- Massachusetts Governor and Lieutenant Governor on Same Ticket, Question 1 (1966)
- Massachusetts Residential Requirement for Voting, Question 2 (1970)
- Massachusetts Question 2, Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2020)
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Massachusetts. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
Ballot access
In order to get on the ballot in Massachusetts, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Massachusetts. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Massachusetts." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Massachusetts
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Massachusetts' nine United States Representatives and 200 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[38][39][40][41]
Massachusetts was apportioned nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Massachusetts after the 2020 census.
State process
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Massachusetts, congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. The lines drawn by the state legislature are subject to veto by the governor.[42]
State statutes require that state legislative district boundaries be contiguous and "reasonably preserve counties, towns, and cities intact, where otherwise possible." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.[42]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Massachusetts can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Massachusetts Town Clerks
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
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Telephone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Website: https://www.eac.gov/
Ballotpedia's election coverage
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Democratic primaries, 2024
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
- Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
- Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
- State legislative Republican primaries, 2024
See also
- 2024 election dates and deadlines
- Voting in Massachusetts
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Massachusetts
- Redistricting in Massachusetts
Elections in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts elections, 2023
- Massachusetts elections, 2022
- Massachusetts elections, 2021
- Massachusetts elections, 2020
- Massachusetts elections, 2019
- Massachusetts elections, 2018
- Massachusetts elections, 2017
- Massachusetts elections, 2016
- Massachusetts elections, 2015
- Massachusetts elections, 2014
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."
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "The Voting Process," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voter Registration Information," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Governing, “Automatic Voter Registration Gains Bipartisan Momentum,” accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voting by Mail," accessed July 18, 2022 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "meav" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Returning Absentee Ballots," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Verification of Absentee Ballots," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," March 9, 2023
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Massachusetts Secretary of State, "Provisional Ballots," accessed April 13, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "pv" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ According to state law, members of political parties may not vote in the primary of a different party.
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Website, "Massachusetts Directory of Political Parties and Designations," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ The 191st General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Section 178," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Massachusetts Law Updates, "Can Felons Vote in Massachusetts?" accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "ncsl" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed Aprl 4, 2023
- ↑ Massachusetts General Laws, "Chapter 51, Secs. 37, 37A, and 38," September 22, 2019
- ↑ Massachusetts General Laws, "Chapter 51, Secs. 4, 37, and 37A," September 22, 2019
- ↑ ERIC, "Home," accessed April 4, 2023
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed August 7, 2023
- ↑ BillTrack50, "MA S2924," accessed July 18, 2022
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Massachusetts Supreme Court Upholds VOTES Act," July 11, 2022
- ↑ The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Bill S.2924," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ 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 April 13, 2023
- ↑ 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 April 13, 2023
- ↑ 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
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed August 15, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted in June 2023, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 All About Redistricting, "Massachusetts," accessed May 4, 2015
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