Press Release: 2020-07-13

What's in the Mail-In voting law?



The Governor recently signed into law a bill that changes the rules for voting in the upcoming Primary and General elections. Secretary Galvin has complained that the legislature passed the new law without extra money needed to implement it, and that his office lacks the funds to execute it. This funding problem has not yet been solved and could end up altering the legislation. Assuming the funding problem is resolved, the as-written bill provides three options to cast your ballot: voting by mail, voting early, or to vote on election day as usual. So, what does this new law mean for MA residents?
 
1. This new bill calls on Secretary Galvin’s office to send applications for mail-in primary election ballots to all voters by July 15th (as long as they’re registered by July 1).
 
His office will also be required to send another round of applications in September for the general election.

These applications must be completed and delivered to your local election office no later than four business days before the election. This means for a State Primary ballot, your application must reach your local election office no later than August 26. For a State Election ballot, your application must reach your local election office no later than October 28. No postage will be required.

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

If you wish to vote by mail, you are strongly encouraged to return your application as early as possible, to make sure that you will receive your ballot in time to return it and have it be counted.
 
2. The new law also creates the state's first-ever seven-day early voting period before a primary election, from Aug. 22 to Aug. 28, and expands to 14 days, the general election early voting from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30. 
 
This means, you will be able to vote at any early voting location in the city/town where you are registered to vote. As posted on the Secretary’s website: “A list of early voting dates, times, and locations for your community will be posted at least one week before early voting begins. Check http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleev/evidx.htm at a later date for a full in-person early voting schedule.”
 
3. Vote in person on election day is STILL in option.
 
Obviously, there is more room for error with mail-in-voting. Rather than the ballot going directly from your hands into a machine where you can physically see that your ballot counted, you leave your voting in the hands of the postal service and then your city or town clerk’s office. Some municipal clerks have already voiced concern with issue of processing a potentially high volume of mail-in ballots. Earlier this month, over 200 uncounted early-voting ballots were found in the town clerk’s office in Grafton a week after their election.
 
Many around the country also voice the concern of increased opportunity for voter fraud with the vote-by mail process. The question for Massachusetts is, what will happen when either human error or intentional fraud takes place, because it will happen. Under these new rules, applications will be sent to inactive voters. Inactive voters who suddenly vote by mail should raise concern and question. Massachusetts candidates, campaigns, and voters will have to be vigilant this election cycle.