Voting, Step By Step
G.L. c. 51, § 26 — registration no later than 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day preceding the election
The tenth day. Except as other sections provide, registration for the next election takes place no later than 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day preceding it, and the same for a special town meeting.
By mail. A mailed affidavit of registration postmarked before midnight on the final day to register is effective for that election. If the postmark is unclear or illegible, the affidavit is accepted until the fifth day after the final day.
Too late for this one. A person who applies when registration for an election is closed is, if otherwise qualified, registered for all later elections.
Absentee and early voting, and what a provisional ballot needs in order to be counted, are set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a particular person is registered is a question for the local election office.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.L. c. 51, § 26 — Registration sessions, and the tenth day deadline
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.