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Ballots put in a mailbox after Tuesday may not reach local election offices by Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin warned in a news release, which urged voters to use drop boxes instead.
State law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive until Nov. 6, according to the release. Galvin’s office said a drop box in a voter’s own community is the way to guarantee a ballot is delivered on time.
“Within one week of Election Day, we always warn voters not to take the risk of mailing their ballot, if they are able to use a drop box instead,” Galvin said Tuesday.
Voters who still have a mail-in ballot can bring it to a drop box or their local election office until 8 p.m. on Election Day, he said.
Nearly every city and town in Massachusetts has at least one dedicated ballot drop box, according to the release. Locations are listed at www.VoteInMA.com. Voters should use only a drop box in the city or town where they are registered.
Voters who cannot get to a drop box or election office can ask a family member to return the ballot for them. Those who have to use the mail are urged to send it as soon as possible and to bring it inside the post office to be postmarked.
A ballot received within three days of Election Day can still be counted if it was postmarked by Election Day, Galvin said.
“Postmarks may not be applied until a day or two after the ballot was put in the mailbox. If you can, it is best to bring your ballot into the post office, to have it postmarked at the counter,” he said.
