Voting 411: 10 Things To Know for the Town Election

Today is the last day to request a vote by mail application

There are three ways to vote: by mail, absentee or in person.

How do I vote by mail? Simply download a PDF of the vote by mail application, print it, fill it out and bring or mail it to Town Hall. Or, you can request that a ballot be sent to you here. That deadline is today.

How do I vote absentee? The only way a voter can vote early in person is by absentee ballot. You must be unable to vote at the polls on Election Day due to absence from the town during polling hours, disability or religious beliefs.

The deadline to vote in person by absentee ballot is noon on Friday, March 31. Download the PDF application form and bring it or mail it to Town Hall. There are also instructions to deliver it electronically on the application.

What if I have special circumstances, like a sudden illness? Call the Town Clerk’s office at 978-640-4355.

Other ways to contact the Town Clerk:
By mail: Town Clerk, 1009 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876
By email: townclerk@tewksbury-ma.gov
By fax: 978-851-8610

How do I know my mail-in or absentee vote was counted? You can track the status of your ballot using the Track My Ballot tool.

I want to vote in person, but how do I know where to go? The polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. this coming Saturday, April 1. You can find your precinct here, along with checking that you are registered to vote in Tewksbury and an active voter.

What if it says I am not a registered voter? Unfortunately, the deadline has passed for registering to vote on Saturday. But you can submit a new voter application form for next time. You can also use that form to update your address or party affiliation.

What if it says I am not an active voter? Voters who appear as inactive can change their status to active by emailing a completed census form to townclerk@tewksbury-ma.gov before Friday, March 31, to avoid a longer check in process at the polls.

What will the ballot I get look like? Here’s the ballot you will receive. Unlike in State elections, everyone in town will get the same ballot.

Do I need to fill in a selection for all the offices? No. If you don’t feel a candidate running unopposed, or any candidate in a contested race, has earned your vote, you can leave that bubble blank.

What about write-ins? Any ballot with a write-in candidate must be handled manually by the election staff.

If you know a candidate is running a write-in campaign, be sure and get his or her full name and address. Spell the name correctly in the blank “write-in” space on your ballot. If a voter misspells a candidate’s name or address, or leaves out the address, the vote can still be counted, as long as the election worker can figure out the voter’s intent. And remember to fill in the bubble next to your write-in.

Note that processing write-ins takes time and slows down the tabulation process. So entering something like “Mickey Mouse” just gums up the works.

How do I learn about the candidates? As in past years, there was a televised forum where all candidates were invited to introduce themselves to voters and share their positions and priorities. That is available to watch here. The Town Crier also ran profiles of many candidates. You can find them here.

Team Carnation will be circulating among voting locations on Saturday — with snacks — to see which precinct is posting the highest participation rate and for spot interviews with voters. We hope to see you at the polls!