Absentee Voting

Absentee Voting Information

Massachusetts allows voters to vote by absentee ballot if the registered voter is one of the following:

  • Will be absent from your city or town on Election Day
  • Have a physical disability that prevents voting at the polling place
  • Cannot vote a the polls due to religious beliefs

Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application

Absentee Ballot Application - Living Outside of the US

Absentee Ballot Applications are only valid for the current calendar year *

*Please note an application must be submitted each calendar year to receive an Absentee Ballot in the mail.

Selection of Ballot Types

In a primary election, a voter who is not registered in a political party must specify the ballot of the party of choice in the application. You will not become registered in a party because of your participation in a state or presidential primary. Voters who are registered in a particular party MUST take that party ballot after the deadline to change their party or register to vote. The current political parties are Democrat, Libertarian and Republican.

Submitting an Application

  • In person at the Town Clerk's Office
  • In the Town Hall drop box located on the side of the Annex Building to the right of the main entrance
  • By mail to 20 Centre Street, Middleborough, MA 02346
  • By email *
  • By fax to 508-946-2308 *

* If you are emailing or faxing an application, you need to sign it in a way that may be compared to your handwritten signature. Electronic signatures, scanned applications and photos of the applications are acceptable. Typed signatures cannot be accepted. 

The deadline to submit an Absentee Ballot application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is 5:00 PM on the 5th business day before the election. 

The deadline to submit an Absentee Ballot application to receive an absentee ballot in person is 12:00 PM on the day before the election.

A voter who is admitted to a health care facility after noon on the seventh day prior to an election may apply for a ballot up until close of polls and may request to have the ballot hand delivered. 

  • Mailing it back in the envelope provided
  • Hand deliver your ballot to your Town Clerk's Office, Annex Building, 1st Floor
  • Drop your ballot off in the drop box located on the side of the Annex building, 20 Centre Street to the right of the main entrance doors
  • Hand deliver your ballot to an early voting location during early voting hours

Ballots cannot be dropped off at the Polling Locations on Election Day. Please bring your ballot to the Town Clerk's Office on Election Day.

Ballots must be received in the Town Clerk's Office by the close of polls on Election Day. 

You can track your ballot on the Secretary of States website. The tracker allows a voter to see if the Town Clerk's Office has received their application, the date the ballot mailed, the date the ballot was received and if the ballot was accepted. 

Members of the Uniformed Services or US citizens residing outside of the US may request an Absentee Ballot for all elections. You can use the FPCA, Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application or any signed request. Citizens deployed, stationed outside of Massachusetts, or living overseas have their right to vote protected by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). You can choose to receive your ballot through an online portal, by fax or by mail. You can choose to return your ballot by email/online, by fax or by mail.

Military and Overseas Voters