City of Boston announces preparations ahead of September 1 election

The City of Boston Election Department today announced its preparations ahead of the September 1, 2020 State Primary. The election includes the following races: Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, Governor's Council, State Senate, State Representative, and Register of Probate. The Department is reminding residents that Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. is the last day to register to vote and Wednesday, August 26 is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

Due to COVID-19, the Election Department will implement health and safety protocols during the early voting period and on Election Day. All poll workers will receive face shields, face masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer. Cleaning will take place at each site every two to three hours. Voters waiting in line will be instructed to stand 6 feet away from others and wear a face covering. 

Registering to vote

Individuals can register to vote either in person at the Election Department in City Hall in room 241, by mail, online or through the Registry of Motor Vehicles by August 22, 2020 at 8:00 p.m to vote in the primary election. To be eligible to vote, an individual must be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen.

Early voting

Individuals can also decide to vote during the early voting period from Saturday, August 22 through Friday, August 28, 2020. Registered voters can vote at any of the early voting sites. No excuse is required to vote early. Hours and locations for early voting can be found here. 

Vote-by-mail 

All registered voters have received a vote-by-mail application in their mail boxes during the week of July 20, 2020. The application is in a postcard format. To receive a ballot, voters must first complete, sign and return the prepaid postcard application to the Election Department by August 26, 2020 for the State Primary. Voters may request a ballot using the vote-by-mail application for the September 1, 2020 State Primary, November 3, 2020 State Election or all 2020 elections. Voters may also request ballots in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.

If residents never received or lost this application, they can request a new ballot application by completing this form here and sending it to the City of Boston's Election Department, via mail, email, fax or physically. 

Voters may return their ballot by mail using the prepaid envelope, at an early voting location, or using the Election Department dropbox located on the third floor of City Hall. City Hall is currently open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Absentee voting in person is available until August 31, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. at the Elections Department in City Hall. To qualify to vote absentee, registered voters must be absent from the City on Election Day, must have a religious belief which prevents them from going inside of a polling location, or have a physical disability which prevents them from going to a polling location. The application to request an absentee ballot can be completed by mail or in person at the Election Department in City Hall. Learn more about applying here. 

Election Day

Polling locations in Boston for the State Primary election will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The ballot will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Language assistance will be available on Election Day by poll workers or using a translation phone bank. Those interested can apply to be a poll worker here. Individuals can find their polling location for Election Day here.

For more information on how to participate in this year's elections, please visit boston.gov/election. 

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