Elections & Voting

On July 6th the Governor signed new legislation - An Act relative to voting options in response to COVID. (Chapter 115 of the Acts of 2020)

All registered voters qualify but are not required to vote by mail in the fall 2020 elections.  There will still be early voting hours in the town hall prior to both elections and the polls will be open at the High School on election day.

The legislation required the Secretary of State to mail an application, in advance of both fall elections, to all registered voters who have not already applied for a vote by mail ballot (see additional information on dates applications will be mailed). The application is pre-addressed and postage paid to be returned to the Ashland Town Clerk's Office as is the ballot return envelope.

ALL REGISTERED VOTERS WERE MAILED AN APPLICATION AROUND JULY 15TH

PLEASE WAIT TO APPLY & USE THE POST CARD APPLICATION MAILED

If you do not receive a postcard, you may download the application here

Deadline for application to be received at Town Clerk's Office

September 1st State Primary Election must be received before 5 PM Wednesday, August 26th (If you are an unenrolled/independent voter, you must choose your ballot)

November 3rd Presidential Election must be received before 5 PM Wednesday, October 28th

APPLY EARLY to allow ample time for processing your application and for the postal services to deliver your ballot to you. If you are concerned about voting too early - please note that voters can hold on to their ballot and return it during the week prior to the election. Voters who receive a vote by mail ballot but do not return it prior to election day may appear to vote in person on election day to cast a ballot. Any voter that has returned a vote by mail ballot (or voted early in person) cannot vote at the polls on Election Day.

Applications can be returned by Mail (postage is pre-paid on the post card application mailed to you), placed in the payment drop box located on the side of town hall (101 Main Street) or scanned & emailed to townclerkoffice@ashlandmass.com

PLEASE NOTE:

VOTED BALLOTS MAY BE PLACED IN THE PAYMENT BOX OUTSIDE OF TOWN HALL. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR SIGNATURE IS ON THE BALLOT ENVELOPE. KINDLY DO NOT FOLD YOUR BALLOT. IT WILL FIT NICELY. THANK YOU! 

RETURN OF ABSENTEE/EARLY VOTED BALLOTS

Mailed Absentee/Early Ballots include a postage paid return envelope that can be mailed or placed in the drop box located on the side of the Town Hall. Ballots can NOT be returned to the polling location on Election Day. They must be returned to the Town Clerks office for processing before they are delivered by Town Clerks staff to the polls on Election Day. All Absentee Ballots must be received before the close of Polls on Election Day to be counted.

TRACK YOUR APPLICATION AND BALLOT

Voters who have applied for a vote by mail ballot may use this link to track the status of their application as well as their ballot status (mailed / received back). Please note that we anticipate a large volume of applications (there are almost 12,000 voters in Ashland) 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 Clerk's Office to check on your status until the recommended amount of time listed above has passed. Inquiries should be sent to townclerkoffice@ashlandmass.com

VIEW THE BALLOTS For STATE (Presidential) ELECTION

*coming soon*

SELECTION OF BALLOT TYPES - PRIMARY ELECTION ONLY

In a primary election, a voter who is NOT registered in a political party (No Party "unenrolled" or commonly known as Independent) must specify the party ballot type of choice on the application to vote by mail . We are unable to process applications for Unenrolled / Independent voters who do not select a party ballot type on their application. Unenrolled / Independent voters who select a party ballot type do not become registered in that party - they remain Unenrolled / Independent voters. Voters who are registered in one of the 4 political parties (Democrat, Republican, Green-Rainbow, Libertarian) MUST take that party ballot and are not given a choice of ballot type - verify your party enrollment or change your party enrollment prior to the deadline to register to vote and before applying for a mail in ballot.

Advanced Removal & Depositing Notice

VIEW THE BALLOTS:

Democrat Ballot

Republican Ballot

Libertarian Ballot

Green Rainbow Ballot

PLEASE NOTE:  The deadline to register to vote for the State Primary Election is Saturday, August 22, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 situation, we urge you to register to vote online with a valid Massachusetts ID by clicking the link below:

Register to Vote Online

Is your Annual Town Census up to date?  If you have not returned your 2020 census you may be required to provide proof of address in order to vote. 

Click here for more information.