State Election Law Update

Updates to State Election Laws:

Permanent Changes beyond 2020:

• The deadline to request an absentee ballot or mail in early ballot by mail will be 5 PM the 4^th business day before an election.
• Voters will be able to request a hand delivered absentee ballot if they have been admitted to a health care facility after 12 PM on the seventh day before an election.
• Mail in ballots may be returned in person, by mail, or by secured drop box in front of the Town Hall labeled Town Clerk

Changes that expire on December 31, 2020:

• The voter registration deadline prior to the September 1^st Primary and November 3^rd primary are ten days before that election. The dates will be Saturday August 22^nd for the Primary and Saturday October 24^th for the November 3^rd election.
• Early voting is made available for all elections 2020.
• All voters will receive a Vote by Mail application. If you wish to receive a ballot by mail, you will need to sign and send this form back to the Town Clerks office in the envelope provided. If for whatever reason, there is not an envelope, the address is PO Box 442, Tyringham, MA 01264. You can also scan in and email the application to townclerk@bcn.net.
• You can find copies of the Vote by Mail application at the Tyringham Post Office, in front of the Town Clerk’s Office, and on the Towns Website.
• Early ballots for the State Primary must be received by 8 PM on September 1^st in order to be counted.
• Early Ballots for the November 3^rd election must be postmarked by November 3^rd and received no later than 5 PM on November 6^th in order to be counted.
• In person early voting will be made available, per the SOC requirements per # of registered Voters. For Tyringham, we are required 2 hours on Saturday and Sundays and during the week, by schedule to be determined. This has yet to be determined. I am required to post these dates by August 14^th, so stay tuned for those.
• Early Voting and Absentee Ballots will be processed in the ballot box as they are received. With that said, please note that once you vote by mail or in person and your ballot is accepted, you cannot vote in person on election day.

I will be posting an updated State Primary Schedule with early in person voting hours listed soon. I am required to have this posted by August 14th, however, I plan to have it posted by the end of the month, or possibly sooner. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. I will continue to update to keep voters informed as I am made aware of changes. 

Sincerely,

April A. Curtin