Voting and Elections Guide

Am I eligible to vote in Massachusetts? 

• You must be a United States citizen and a resident of Massachusetts.
• You must be 18 years old on or before Election Day.
• You are not currently incarcerated by reason of a felony conviction.
• You may be asked to show ID if there is a question about your identity. See more information here.

What If I Moved Recently?

State law allows voters who have moved within Massachusetts to vote in state elections and primaries from a previous address for up to six months, as long as they have not registered at a new address. If you have moved from one community in Massachusetts to another, and you have not registered to vote at your new address, you may vote at your previous polling place. Please note that this does not apply to local elections.

Are you 16 or 17? You can pre-register to vote

Though you must be 18 years old in order to vote, you may pre-register to vote once you are 16 years old. If you are 16 or 17 years old, you may submit a voter registration form to your local election official, who will then place your name on the list of pre-registrants. You will receive a pre-registration notice by mail, confirming receipt of your application. Pre-registration may be done online, by mail, or in person at any voter registration location (see above).

Once you become old enough to vote, your local election will mail you an acknowledgement notice, which is confirmation that your name has been moved from the list of pre-registrants to the list of registered voters. Your acknowledgement notice will include your party affiliation and the location of your polling place.

It is important to keep your local election official informed of any changes to your information. You must submit a new voter registration form if you wish to change your name, address, mailing address, or political affiliation.

2023 is a municipal election year.  The information below is for the Boston election.  If you live in a municipality that has a city form of government, check with them for details.  Elections for town government have passed.

Preliminary Election Day is September 12.  Only voters in the 3rd (Dorchester,) 5th (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan, and Readville,) 6th (Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury,) and 7th (Roxbury, Grove Hall, and South End) districts will vote in this election.  There will be no early voting.

Deadline for registering to vote in the Primary is September 2.

Deadline for applying for a mail ballot for the primary is September 5.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7.

The deadline to register to vote is Saturday, October 28.

Information on mail in and early voting have yet to be finalized.

Request an absentee ballot here.