Election Information

Voting by Mail

On July 6, 2020 the Governor signed off on House Bill No. 4820 An Act Relative to Voting Options in Response to COVID-19.  The new law passed allows all registered voters in Massachusetts to vote by mail in any 2020 election, with no excuse needed.

As required by the new law, a Vote by Mail application will be mailed to every person who was registered to vote by July 1, 2020 and who had not already requested an absentee ballot for the State Primary or for all elections this year. A second mailing will be sent out in September to all voters who have not already applied for a Vote by Mail ballot for the November election. The applications are pre-addressed to the Town Clerk’s Office and no postage will be required.

Vote by Mail applications must be delivered to the Town Clerk’s Office no later than 4 (four) business days before the election. For a State Primary ballot, your application must be received by the Town Clerk’s Office no later than Wednesday, August 26, 2020 by 5:00 pm. For a State/Presidential Election ballot, your application must be received by the Town Clerk’s Office no later than Wednesday, October 28, 2020 by 5:00 pm.

Please be sure to include your name and address, the election(s) for which you are requesting a ballot, and your signature. If you need the ballot mailed somewhere other than your home, be sure to provide that address.

Vote by Mail applications are available for download and may also be requested by contacting the Elections Division.

You may find more information on voting by mail on the State Elections Division Voting by Mail FAQs page.

Applications for absentee ballots are available to be downloaded and printed, but you may also request an absentee ballot by writing a letter the Town Clerk’s Office, if you do not have access to a printer. Be sure to include your name and address, the election(s) for which you are requesting a ballot, and your signature. If you need the ballot mailed somewhere other than your home, be sure to provide that address.

APPLY EARLY - to allow ample time for processing your application and for the postal services to deliver your ballot to you. Completed absentee and early ballot applications must be submitted Town Clerk’s Office, 20 Centre Street, Middleborough, MA 02346. Applications may be mailed, hand-delivered to Town Hall drop box at 10 Nickerson Avenue (Town Hall parking lot drop box), faxed to (508) 946-2308, or emailed to vote@middleborough.com. If you are emailing your application, you must be able to send an image of the application as an attachment, either by scanning it or by taking a picture of it. A hand-written signature must be visible.

If I applied for a vote by mail ballot may I appear to vote in person at an early voting site or at the polls on Election Day?

If your vote by mail ballot has not been returned or received by the Town Clerk’s Office – YES, you may still appear to vote in person at the polls on Election Day. Should your mail in ballot be received after you voted early in person or at the polls on Election Day that ballot will be rejected and will not be counted.

If a vote by mail ballot has already been returned and received by the Town Clerk’s Office – NO.  A returned vote by mail ballot is considered cast and you will not be eligible to vote by mail, early in person or in person at the polls on Election Day.

If I vote early in person may I appear to vote in person at the polls on Election Day?

NO - If you appeared to vote early in person your ballot will be considered cast and you will not be eligible to vote by mail, or in person at the polls on Election Day.  Voting in Person at the Polls after submitting an early ballot is prohibited as outlined in 950 CMR 4 7.19.

TRACK YOUR APPLICATION AND BALLOT
 Voters who have applied for a vote by mail ballot may use the following link to track the status of their application as well as their ballot status http://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema//track/trackmyballot.aspx. 

Please note that we anticipate a large volume of applications (there are over 18,000 voters in Middleborough) and request you allow at least 2 weeks before checking the status of your application and allow a minimum of 10 days to receive your ballot from the status date of mailing.  Please do not contact the Town Clerk's Office to check on your status until the recommended amount of time listed above has passed.  Inquiries should be sent to vote@middleborough.com

RETURN OF VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS

Mailed ballots include a postage pre-paid return ballot envelope that is addressed to the Town Clerk's Office. You may return your ballot by mail (please see deadlines below) or hand deliver your ballot to Town Clerk’s Office, 20 Centre Street, 1^st Floor or Town Hall drop box at 10 Nickerson Avenue (Town Hall parking lot drop box), (deadline is close of polls on Election Day). Ballots may NOT be returned to the polling location on Election Day - they must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office for processing before they are delivered by Town Clerk's staff to the polls to be cast on Election Day. Voters who receive a vote by mail ballot but do not return it prior to Election Day may appear to vote in person to cast a ballot on Election Day. Any voter that has returned a vote by mail ballot (or voted early in person) is not permitted to appear to vote in person on Election Day.

Deadlines for ballots to be returned and counted

State Primary  - All ballots must be received at Town Clerk’s Office by 8PM on September 1st

State/Presidential Election  -Ballots returned in person to the Town Clerk’s Office or in the Town Hall drop box must be received by 8PMon November 3^rd.  Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by November 3rd AND received by the Town Clerk by 5PM on November 6th.