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Releases from MA SOS
William Galvin
Secretary
of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Contact: Debra O'Malley
November 19, 2020
SECRETARY GALVIN CERTIFIES RECORD VOTER TURNOUT IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Secretary
of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin has announced
that more than 3.6 million ballots were cast in
Massachusetts in the November 3, 2020 election,
shattering the previous record by nearly 300,000
votes.
Local
election officials in Massachusetts had until
yesterday to complete certification of their election
results, and after a canvass of those results,
Galvin’s office has determined that 3,657,972
voters participated, which is equal to 76% of
registered voters. The 2016 Presidential
Election held the previous record for the highest
number of ballots cast with 3,378,801 voters
participating.
“I
am thrilled that turnout in this election exceeded
even my own high expectations, with a record number of
voters participating” Galvin said. “Even in the
midst of a global pandemic, our voters showed up in
the way that worked best for them, whether it
was on Election Day, by mail, or during early voting.”
In
a press conference held the day before Election Day,
Galvin had projected that 3.6 million ballots
would be cast, based on his analysis of early and
absentee voting.
October
25, 2020
SECRETARY GALVIN REPORTS BALLOT DROP BOX ATTACK TO U.S. ATTORNEY, DIRECTS OFFICIALS TO INCREASE SECURITY
After
being notified this morning a fire had been set in a
ballot drop box in Boston, Secretary of the
Commonwealth William F. Galvin has contacted U.S.
Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office and asked that
the FBI investigate what appears to be
deliberate attack.
Galvin’s
office was notified by the Boston Elections Department
on Sunday of a fire set at approximately 4 a.m. in the
ballot drop box outside of the Boston Public
Library Main Branch in Copley Square. The drop box had
last been emptied by the Boston Elections
Department at 2:29 p.m. on Saturday.
According
to an inventory by the Boston Elections Department,
there were 122 ballots inside the drop box when
it was emptied this morning, 87 of which were
legible and able to be processed. Voters may
track their ballots at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com to
confirm receipt. Those who are not able to confirm
their ballot status through the website, and who
used the Copley Square drop box between 2:30 p.m. on
Saturday and 4 a.m. on Sunday are urged to contact the
Boston Elections Department immediately.
Affected
voters will be mailed a replacement ballot by the City
of Boston and will have the option of casting that
replacement ballot or voting in person until 8 p.m.
on Election Day. If any affected voter does not
submit a new ballot, their original ballot will
be hand-counted to the extent possible.
In
a joint statement issued today, Galvin and Boston
Mayor Martin J. Walsh urged voters not to be
intimidated by attempts to interfere with this
election.
“What
happened in the early hours of this morning to the
ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to
democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their
civic duty, and a crime,” the statement reads.
“Our first and foremost priority is maintaining
the integrity of our elections process and ensuring
transparency and trust with our voters, and any
effort to undermine or tamper with that process must
be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act,
and remain committed to making their voices
heard in this and every election.”
In
light of the concern over malicious attacks on drop
boxes, Galvin has also directed all local election
officials around the commonwealth to increase security
of drop boxes. Galvin is urging officials to
employ drop box guards and video surveillance and
to empty drop boxes frequently.
###
October 22, 2020
SECRETARY GALVIN WARNS SATURDAY IS ‘ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE’ TO REGISTER TO VOTE
Secretary Galvin is urging all Massachusetts citizens
to make sure they are registered to vote before it is
too late. This Saturday, October 24th, is the last day
for those who want to vote in the November 3rd
Presidential Election to register to vote or
update their registration.
“This is your absolute last chance to get registered
for November,” Galvin said. “Even if you think you
are registered, you should still double check. If you
moved since you last voted, make sure you’re
registered where you live now. If you aren’t
registered by Saturday, you can’t vote.”
Galvin is reminding voters that online voter
registration is available to those who have a
Massachusetts driver’s license or RMV-issued state
identification card at www.RegisterToVoteMA.com.
Voters who cannot register online may still register
by mail or in person until Saturday.
“Every local election office will be offering in-person
voter registration in at least one location on
Saturday until 8 p.m.,” Galvin said. “Most cities and
towns are also offering registration at their
early voting sites, so you can register and vote at the
same time.”
Voter registrations deadlines this year were extended
by 10 days, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The extension
means that voters in Massachusetts may register to
vote during the early voting period for the first time.
Galvin’s office is also reminding voters that online
registration forms must be submitted no later than 11:59
p.m. and mail-in voter registration forms must be
postmarked no later than October 24th in order for the
registration to be effective for the November 3rd
election.
October 16, 2020
EARLY VOTING BEGINS TOMORROW STATEWIDE
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin is
reminding Massachusetts voters that in-person
early voting begins tomorrow, October 17th. Early voting
will continue each day through October 30th.
Every city and town will offer early voting in at least
one location Saturday and Sunday. Early voting is
available to all registered voters who have not already
returned a mail-in ballot.
Voters who have previously applied to vote by mail and
would now prefer to vote in person may do so at
any early voting location in their city or town, as long
as they have not already voted by mail. Early
voting locations also serve as ballot drop-off centers
for voters who wish to return their mail-in
ballots in person.
“This year, we have expanded the early voting period to
be 14 days long, so that those who want to vote in
person may choose the time that works best for them,
over a period of many days to help avoid
crowding,” Galvin said. “Because of voter
enthusiasm, the first day of early voting is often
the busiest day. If you want to vote at a time
when there will be fewer people around, weekday
voting is also available.”
In addition to the two weekends included in the early
voting period this year, early voting must be offered in
every city and town during the local election
office’s regular business hours, and
municipalities may choose to extend those hours.
Every early voting location in Massachusetts is
required to be set up for social distancing and safe
voting. Election workers will be limiting crowding
inside voting locations and keeping surfaces and
implements sanitized.
Voters may find a complete listing of early voting
locations and schedules at
www.MassEarlyVote.com.
###
September 23, 2020
SECRETARY GALVIN LAUNCHES ONLINE BALLOT REQUEST PORTAL
Voters in Massachusetts may now apply for their Vote by
Mail ballots online, Secretary of the Commonwealth
William F. Galvin announced this morning.
Voters who have not already applied for a November
ballot may use the portal available at
www.MailMyBallotMA.com to request a ballot from their
local election office. Before requesting the
ballot, each voter will need to verify their voter
registration information.
“This new portal is just one more way for voters to
request their ballots by mail this year,” Galvin
said. “This online system will be helpful for those
voters who are away from home right now, and did
not receive the Vote by Mail applications that were
mailed to them recently.”
“My hope is that this new online portal will cut down
on the time it takes for voters to apply for their
ballots, by eliminating the need for a local election
official to wait for the application to arrive in
the mail,” Galvin continued. “This will allow
voters to get their ballots sooner and return them
in plenty of time for them to be counted.”
Galvin’s office has been working to build a secure and
accessible online ballot request portal since a
new law was passed in early July which allows all
registered voters to vote by mail this year. The
same law allows voters to sign ballot applications
electronically and to request ballots via an online
portal provided by Galvin’s office.
September 11, 2020
VOTE BY MAIL APPLICATIONS TO BEGIN ARRIVING IN
MAILBOXES
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin is
advising every voter who has not already submitted
a Vote by Mail application to keep an eye on their
mailbox in the coming days.
As required by state law, Galvin’s office is mailing
Vote by Mail applications to all registered voters
who have not already submitted an application for a Vote
by Mail ballot. Voters who have already applied
for a November ballot need not re-apply.
“We are not mailing applications to voters who have
already applied, so there is no need to worry if
you do not receive one in the mail this time,” Galvin
said.
Voters who wish to confirm receipt of their Vote by Mail
application may do so at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com,
which will show a “pending” November ballot for
anyone who already has an application on file.
Ballots are expected to start being mailed by the
first week of October.
The Vote by Mail applications being mailed to voters
this week are postage pre paid and pre-addressed to each
voter’s local election office. Voters are encouraged
to apply early in order to ensure timely delivery
of their ballots.
The United States Postal Service advises voters to
submit their applications no later than October
20th. Ballots that are not received by local election
officials on or before Election Day must arrive no
later than November 6th and be postmarked by
November 3rd in order to be counted.
Expanded in-person voting will also be available this
year, from October 17-30. Four days of weekend
voting will be held in every community during that
period. Those planning to vote in person do not
need to submit their Vote by Mail applications.
Additional Vote by Mail applications may be found
at
www.MailMyBallotMA.com.
July 6, 2020
VOTE BY MAIL BILL SIGNED INTO LAW
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin has announced that his office is moving forward immediately to implement a new law that will allow all registered voters in Massachusetts to vote by mail this fall, with no excuse necessary.The bill, signed into law today by Governor Charles D. Baker, closely tracks a proposal Galvin released back in May in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am very pleased that this bill has been signed into law, allowing voters and election officials to plan for everyone to be able to vote safely this fall,” Galvin said. “I am also glad the new law includes the additional in-person early voting I proposed for both the primary and the election.”
Under the new law, all registered voters who wish to vote by mail will be able to do so. Additionally, in-person voting will be expanded, in an effort to make voting more convenient, and also reduce the risk of crowding in polling places.
For the first time, in-person early voting will be available for the State Primary, taking place August 22-28. The in-person early voting period for the November State Election has been expanded to include 2 weekends, and will be held October 17-30.
Voters can find more information about their voting options on Galvin’s website, www.sec.state.ma.us/ele.