Must I be a registered voter in order to vote by absentee ballot?

Yes, unless you are a "specially qualified voter". A specially qualified voter is a person: 

  1. Who is otherwise eligible to register as a voter and 
  2. Whose present domicile is outside the United States and whose last domicile in the United States was Massachusetts or whose present domicile is Massachusetts and who is: 
    • absent from the city or town or residence and in the active service of the armed forces or in the merchant marine of the United States or a spouse or dependent of such person 
    • absent from the commonwealth; or 
    • confined in a correctional facility or a jail, except if by reason of felony conviction.

Show All Answers

1. How do I vote by absentee ballot?
2. I can't get to the polls on Election Day. Can I vote?
3. How can I apply for an absentee ballot?
4. Can anyone else apply for an absentee ballot for me?
5. Can a family member apply for my absentee ballot?
6. Must I be a registered voter in order to vote by absentee ballot?
7. Must my ballot be witnessed?
8. What if I'm not able to mark my absentee ballot?
9. Are polling places accessible to elderly and disabled voters?
10. I'm permanently disabled. May I vote at home?
11. My parent is in a nursing home. Is she/he able to vote by absentee ballot?