Pentucket Regional School District area residents who cannot be physically present to vote in their towns of residence on Election Day on Monday, May 6, but wish to vote can do so by submitting an absentee ballot.
Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury residents will be asked to vote on Election Day whether to appropriate funds for the proposed Pentucket Regional middle and high school building project.
Below are guidelines for residents seeking to vote by absentee ballot from the Secretary of State’s Office:
Residents that will be absent from their town on Election Day, have a physical disability or religious beliefs that prevent them from casting a vote at the polls are eligible to vote by absentee ballot as well as non-registered voters who are Massachusetts citizens that are absent from the state, confined to a correctional facility or jail for reasons other than felony conviction, or an active member of the armed forces or merchant marines, their spouse or dependent.
To request an absentee ballot, voters may submit an application or a signed letter to their local election official. A voter’s family member may also request an absentee ballot for that individual.
Applications can be downloaded and printed by visiting www.sec.state.ma.us/ELE/eleabsentee/absidx.htm.
The application will require information including the voter’s name, legal voting address, and date of birth. Voters will also be asked to provide the address where they would like the ballot to be mailed, and to indicate for which election(s) he or she is requesting a ballot for.
On the application, voters will also be asked to check any of the listed special circumstances which apply to their application, if any. Lastly, voters are required to sign their name. Those who require assistance signing the application may authorize someone else to sign their name in their presence.
Absentee ballot applications for Election Day on May 6 are due by noon on Friday, May 3. Applications can be submitted in person, mail, fax, or e-mail to the local election official at the voter’s town hall. The signature of the voter must be visible in any application that is emailed or faxed.
Residents voting by mail are reminded to submit their applications and return their ballots with enough time to ensure their ballots will reach the local election official’s office by Election Day.