Early voting for state primary begins today in Boston

Ahead of the September 1 State Primary, the City of Boston Election Department is reminding registered voters that a week of early voting begins today in Boston at locations around the City. The election includes the following races: Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, Governor's Councillors, Senator in General Court, Representative in General Court, and Register of Probate.

Boston City Hall is the main early voting location with early voting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Voters are encouraged to enter City Hall through the North Side entrance to vote on the second floor in the Haymarket Room.

Due to COVID-19, health and safety protocols during the early voting period and on Election Day will be implemented at polling locations. 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 six feet away from others and wear a face covering. 

Voters registered in Boston can vote during the early voting period from Saturday, August 22, through Friday, August 28, 2020, at any of the early voting sites. No excuse is required to vote early. Hours and locations for early voting can be found here.

All early voting sites are equipped with electronic poll books for voter check in. Early voting locations are well staffed with poll workers and interpreters, and fully accessible to voters with disabilities. 

At the end of each day, all voted ballots will be secured and then delivered on Election Day to each voter's precinct to be officially counted with all other ballots.

Early voting was made possible by the Acts of 2014. During the 2016 inaugural early voting period, over 47,000 voters, representing over 17 percent of the total ballots cast, participated in early voting.

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. Residents who have requested to vote by mail can track their ballots online. 

If residents never received or lost this application, they can request a new ballot application by completing this form and sending it to the City of Boston's Election Department, via mail, email, fax, physically, or dropping it off at the dropbox located in City Hall or at early voting locations during the early voting period.

1 City Hall Square, Room 241

Boston, MA 02201

Email: absenteevoter@boston.gov

Fax: 617-635-4483

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 City recently announced 20 precinct polling location changes this cycle. Individuals can find their polling location for Election Day on the state's website.

The ballot will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Language assistance will be available on Election Day by translators at polling locations or by contacting the Election Department's translation phone bank.

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

Members of the media are reminded that certain rules must be followed in order to ensure a smooth voting process for voters.

• Interviews of voters are not allowed inside polling locations and must be done at least 150 feet away.

• Interviews with election officers at the polling locations are not allowed. Interview requests for the Election Department must be directed through the Press Office at 617-635-4461.

• Photos and b-roll shots will be allowed under the supervision of each poll's warden.

• Photographers are reminded that zooming in on voter ballots and shots over the shoulders of voters will not be allowed -- please respect every voter's right to a private ballot.