Voters urged to keep eye out for vote-by-mail applications

BOSTON (AP) — Voters who have not already submitted vote-by-mail applications for the November election should keep an eye on their mailboxes in the coming days.

The state is mailing vote-by-mail applications to all registered voters who have not already submitted an application for a ballot.

Voters who have already applied for a November ballot don’t need to re-apply, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, who oversees elections in Massachusetts.

Voters who want to confirm receipt of their Vote by Mail application can go to www.TrackMyBallotMA.com, which will show a “pending” November ballot for anyone who already has an application on file.

An earlier application sent out before the Sept. 1 primary allowed voters to apply for ballots for the primary, the general election, or both. Voters who aren’t sure if they already applied, should track their ballot on the website to doublecheck.

>>>MORE: How to vote by mail and track your ballot in Massachusetts

Ballots are expected to start being mailed by the first week of October. Voters are encouraged to apply early in order to ensure timely delivery of their ballots.

The U.S. Postal Service is advising voters to submit their applications no later than Oct. 20, according to Galvin.

Ballots that are not received by local election officials on or before Election Day must arrive no later than Nov. 6 and be postmarked by Nov. 3 in order to be counted.

Expanded in-person voting will also be available this year, from Oct. 17-30. Four days of weekend voting will be held in every community during that period. Those planning to vote in person don’t need to submit vote-by-mail applications.

>>>MORE ELECTION 2020 NEWS

Additional Vote by Mail applications may be found at www.MailMyBallotMA.com.

A fierce Senate Democratic contest helped spur a record number of Massachusetts voters to cast ballots in the primary.

There were more than 1.7 million ballots cast — besting the previous record set during the 1990 state primaries when more than 1.5 million were cast.

The vast majority of last week’s ballots — more than 1.4 million — came from Democrats who helped decide a primary battle between incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

Markey won and will face Republican Kevin O’Connor in November.

Vote by mail steps:

• Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application.
• Fill out the application completely.
• Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2020.
• When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.
• Track your ballot

There are currently 193 ballot drop boxes across the state. Click here to find a ballot drop box location near you.

The state has a full list of election tools for voters on its Election Page.

Voter Resources

• View My Ballot
• Register to Vote Online
• Am I Registered to Vote?
• Where Do I Vote?
• Find My Drop Box
• Track My Ballot
• Mail-in Registration Form
• Automatic Voter Registration
• Massachusetts Districts

Cox Media Group