BOSTON – Early voting in the 2024 elections is off to a strong start in Massachusetts.
At 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Secretary of State said that 818,904 people have already voted, twelve days before election day.
That’s 16.2 percent of registered voters in Massachusetts.
Early voting
According to the state, 664,220 mail-in ballots have been cast. Another 154,684 went to a polling station to vote early.
Early voting in Massachusetts began last Saturday, October 19. Voting ends on Friday, November 1.
Every city has it, but you will need to contact your local elections office for specific hours.
Results of the first rounds of voting
Even though so many people have already completed and returned their ballots, early voting results will not be released until then.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, local election officials can organize early voting, but they cannot begin counting them or releasing vote totals “until the polls close on Election Day.”
How to vote
If you don’t want to wait until Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, there are two ways to vote: by mail or during the early voting period.
If you want to vote by mail, the state of Massachusetts may have already contacted you. The Secretary of State sent applications to all registered voters 45 days before Election Day.
If you haven’t received it or haven’t filled it out, you can still request a ballot by filling out an application form online.
They recommend that you “apply as early as possible” because the US Postal Service says you should allow up to seven days for your ballot to be delivered. You can track your ballot here.
You can also vote early, in person in your city, during the designated hours. The most popular times are on weekends. You don’t need to make an appointment, you just need to be registered to vote.
Remember, once you fill out and turn in the ballot, it’s done. You cannot take your ballot back, whether you vote by mail, vote early, or vote on Election Day.
