Mail-in voting information for the City of Boston
If you are a registered voter in Boston, you can vote by mail in the 2021 Municipal Elections.
All registered Boston voters have received a vote-by-mail application in their mailboxes for the Municipal Election on November 2.
The application is in a postcard format. To vote by mail in the Municipal Elections, voters must complete, sign and return the prepaid postcard application to the Boston Election Department by Wednesday, October 27, 2021.
If you never received the application, we have information below about how you can apply.
- Published by: Election
How to apply
If you want to mail or fax your application, you can download one:
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / Solicitud de Voto por Correo 2021 (Español)
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / Đơn Xin Bầu Bằng Thư 2021 (Tiếng Việt)
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / 2021 年郵寄投票申請表 (中文)
You can scan your signed application and email it back to us at absenteevoter@boston.gov or fax it to us at 617-635-4483. You can also drop off or mail your completed application to:
Elections Department
1 City Hall Square, Room 241
Boston, MA 02201
Office hours: Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Applications to request a vote-by-mail ballot must be received by Wednesday, October 27, for the Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 2. If you're planning to vote by mail and you haven't already applied, the Postal Service recommends you apply by Wednesday, October 20, to ensure you receive your ballot in time.
Tracking your ballotBoston voters can track their ballot requested by mail through the state's website. We will start mailing out ballots by mid-August. We will continue to mail ballots as applications arrive, until the application deadline of October 27, 2021.
Complete your ballot
You can mail the ballot to the address on the envelope. Please submit your completed ballot as soon as possible. The Boston Election Department is now providing postage paid envelopes for the return of voted ballots.
"The postage paid envelopes are the result of an Ordinance to increase voter participation, that was passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor in September."
You can track your ballot through the state's website. Make sure to call the Elections Department at 617-635-8683 before Election Day if you haven't seen movement in the tracker.
If you plan to return your ballot in person instead of mailing it, we have dedicated drop boxes available across the City, including at Boston City Hall. You can find a list of drop box locations below. You have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to drop off your ballot.
When installed, our drop boxes will be monitored by surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week leading up until 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can also drop off your ballot at any early voting location during the City's early voting period.
If you bring a mail-in ballot to your polling location on Election Day, you will be provided with the opportunity to cast your vote in-person at that polling location. A poll worker will help you to ensure that your mail-in ballot is spoiled before casting the in-person vote.

Map of drop box locations
List of drop box locations
Drop box listDate | Time | Location |
---|---|---|
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Paris Street, 112 Paris Street, East Boston, MA 02128 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | James F Condon Elementary School, 200 D Street, South Boston, MA 02127 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Richard J Murphy School, 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | ABCD Thelma D. Burns Building, 575 Warren Street, Dorchester, MA 02121 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Another Course to College, 612 E Metropolitan Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Roche, 1716 Centre Street,West Roxbury, MA 02132 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Shelburne, 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Jackson Mann School, 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134 |
Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Quincy, 885 Washington Street, Chinatown, MA 02111 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Paris Street, 112 Paris Street, East Boston, MA 02128 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | James F Condon Elementary School, 200 D Street, South Boston, MA 02127 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Richard J Murphy School, 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | ABCD Thelma D. Burns Building, 575 Warren Street, Dorchester, MA 02121 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Another Course to College, 612 E Metropolitan Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Roche, 1716 Centre Street,West Roxbury, MA 02132 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Shelburne, 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Jackson Mann School, 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134 |
Sunday, October 24, 2021 | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | BCYF Quincy, 885 Washington Street, Chinatown, MA 02111 |
Monday, October 25, 2021 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. | Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | BCYF Tobin, 1481 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120 |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | Harvard/Kent School, 50 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown, MA 02129 |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | Margarita Muniz Academy |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | BCYF Mildred Ave Community Center, 5 Mildred Ave, Mattapan, MA 02126 |
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 | 9a.m. - 5 p.m. |
Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 |
Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. |
Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 |
Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church, 39 Belgrade Avenue, Roslindale, MA 02131 |
Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210 |
Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | BCYF Perkins, 155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124 |
Thursday, October 28, 2021 | 12 - 8 p.m. | The Salvation Army Boston Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester, MA 02125 |
Friday, October 29, 2021 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 |
Neighborhood | Location | Address |
---|---|---|
Allston | Honan-Allston Branch Library |
300 North Harvard Street, Allston, MA 02134 |
Back Bay | Boston Public Library - Central Branch |
700 Boylston Street, Back Bay, MA 02116 |
Brighton | Brighton Branch Library |
40 Academy Hill Rd, Brighton, MA 02135 |
Charlestown | Charlestown Branch Library |
179 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129 |
Dorchester | Fields Corner Branch Library |
1520 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02122 |
Dorchester | Grove Hall Library |
41 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02121 |
Dorchester | Uphams Corner Branch Library |
500 Columbia Rd, Dorchester, MA 02125 |
Dorchester | Adams Street Branch Library |
690 Adams St, Dorchester, MA 02122 |
Dorchester | Codman Square Branch Library | 690 Washington St, Dorchester, MA 02124 |
Downtown | City Hall - 3rd Floor |
1 City Hall Sq, Boston, MA 02201 |
Downtown | City Hall - Congress Street |
1 City Hall Sq, Boston, MA 02201 |
East Boston | East Boston Branch Library |
365 Bremen Street, East Boston, MA 02128 |
Hyde Park | Hyde Park Branch Library |
35 Harvard Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136 |
Jamaica Plain | Jamaica Plain Branch Library |
30 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 |
Mattapan | Mattapan Branch Library |
1350 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan, MA 02126 |
Roslindale | BCYF Roslindale |
6 Cummins Hwy, Roslindale, MA 02131 |
Roxbury | Roxbury Branch Library |
149 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 |
Roxbury | Parker Hill Branch Library |
1497 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 |
South Boston | South Boston Branch Library |
646 East Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127 |
South End | Suffolk County House of Correction | 20 Bradston Street, Boston, MA 02118 |
West End | Suffolk County Jail | 200 Nashua Street, Boston, MA 02114 |
West Roxbury | West Roxbury Branch Library |
1961 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 |
Accessible voting by mail
Boston voters with print or visual impairments may now request, receive, and return an accessible electronic absentee ballot.
The City of Boston has implemented an Accessible Electronic Voting System. This system provides Boston voters an accessible electronic absentee ballot system for the upcoming November 2, 2021, Municipal Election.
The Accessible Electronic Remote Voting System is compatible with screen readers. Voters with print disabilities can now participate in vote-by-mail and absentee voting programs privately and independently. The deadline to request an accessible ballot is Wednesday, October 27.
Keep in mind
If you have already applied for an Absentee Ballot, you do not need to fill out an application for a mail-in ballot.
In-person votingSome voters are concerned that mail-in voting will be their only option for voting in the 2021 Preliminary Municipal Election and the Municipal Election. The Boston Election Department would like to reassure voters that in-person voting will remain an option for all 255 precincts.
Covid-19 Precautions for In-Person VotingWe are in the process of recruiting about 1,800 poll workers to serve on Election Day. All poll workers are required to attend a 2.5-hour training on election laws and procedures. This year's poll worker training will include COVID-19 protocols on social distancing, sanitizing procedures, and the proper use of personal protective equipment.
For convenience and to reduce crowding, early voting will be available in the City of Boston:
- Municipal Election: Saturday, October 23, through Friday, October 29.
Common questions
QuestionsYes, every registered voter is eligible to vote by mail this year.
What if I am not registered?You need to be a registered voter to vote by mail. The deadline to register to vote in the Municipal Election is Wednesday, October 13, 2021. You can register online, by mail, or in person at Boston City Hall.
Can I register to vote and apply for my ballot at the same time?Yes. As long as your registration form is received or postmarked 20 days before the election, your application can be submitted with your registration form. For the Municipal Election, that date is Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
What if I'm not sure where I'm registered?Before you fill out your mail-in ballot application, use the state's website to confirm that you're registered at your current address.
What if I'm still registered at an old address?If the voter registration deadline hasn't passed yet, you should register to vote at your current address. If there isn't time to update your address, you should apply using your old address where you are registered to vote if:
- you have moved within the same city or town where you are registered, OR
- you have moved to a new city or town in Massachusetts within six months of the election.
When you apply by mailing a paper application, emailing your application to absentee@boston.gov (be sure to sign), or bringing your application to City Hall Room 241, you can request that your ballot be sent to your new address.
If you are a registered Boston voter, submit a 2021 vote-by-mail application by mail, email, fax, to the Boston Election Department:
Election Department
1 City Hall Square, Room 241
Boston, MA 02201
Email: absenteevoter@boston.gov
Fax: 617-635-4483
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / Solicitud de Voto por Correo 2021 (Español)
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / Đơn Xin Bầu Bằng Thư 2021 (Tiếng Việt)
- 2021 vote-by-mail application (English) / 2021 年郵寄投票申請表 (中文)
You should apply as soon as possible. We need to receive your application at least four business days before Election Day. Remember that it can take up to a week for the mail to be delivered in one direction, so it's best to try to apply at least two to three weeks before the election.
What if I can't print the Vote-by-Mail Application?Any written request is acceptable, as long as it is signed. You can write a letter to our office that says you want a ballot:
Election Department
1 City Hall Square, Room 241
Boston, MA 02201
Make sure to include your name, address, and where to mail your ballot.
Where do I send my application?If you are a registered Boston voter, send your application to our office:
Election Department
1 City Hall Square, Room 241
Boston, MA 02201
Email: absenteevoter@boston.gov
Fax: 617-635-4483
Yes, but the application needs to be signed. You can either:
- sign your application by hand and email an image of your application to our office, or
- sign your name using a mouse, stylus, or finger and then send that saved application to our office.
Typed signatures are not acceptable.
Can I fax my application?Yes. If you have access to a fax machine, you can fax your application to our office at 617-635-4483.
Can I sign my application digitally?Yes, but your signature has to be similar to your hand-written signature. You can sign your name on a computer or phone using a mouse, finger, or stylus. Typed signatures are not acceptable.
How do I know if my application was received?You can use the state's website to track your mail-in ballot. If your application is marked as "Pending," that means your application has been received and your ballot will be mailed out as soon as it is ready. If the website can't find a record for you, that may mean that your application hasn't been received yet. You should call us at 617-635-8683.
Do you need an accessible ballot?A voter with a disability may request an accessible mail-in ballot. This request must be submitted to the accessible vote-by-mail coordinator in the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office at 1-800-462-VOTE/TTY: 1-800-720-3480 from 8:45 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
You can use the state's website to track your mail-in ballot. If the ballot has already been mailed, you will be able see the date it was mailed. If the website can't find a record for you, that may mean that your application hasn't been received yet and you should call us at 617-635-8683.
If I vote by mail, can I change my mind and vote in person?It depends. If you mailed your early ballot back and it was accepted by our office, then your ballot is considered to be cast and you can't vote again. If your ballot never reached our office — or if it was rejected for some reason — then you can vote in person.
What if I need assistance in voting?If you need assistance voting because you have a physical disability or you have difficulty reading your ballot, you can ask any other person to assist you in marking your ballot in your presence.
If you cannot sign your name on the ballot envelope, the person assisting you should sign your name in the space provided for the voter's signature. They should then provide their own information in the space provided for the assisting person. If you need an accommodation because of a physical disability, you may apply to the state's Elections Division.
Can someone else fill out my ballot for me if I am not home?No. Only you can fill out your ballot and sign your ballot envelope, unless you are unable to do so because of physical disability or inability to read your ballot. All help must be provided in your presence. You can, however, have a ballot mailed to you wherever you are.
If I apply for a Vote-by-Mail ballot, does that mean I can't vote in person?No. You can vote in person as long as you haven't already voted by mail. If you choose not to return your mail-in ballot, you can vote in person on Election Day or during early voting. You can also vote in person if you mail your ballot and it does not reach your election office by Election Day, or if your mail-in ballot is rejected for any reason.
If you don't feel comfortable mailing your ballot, we will have drop boxes located across the City that will be available until 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can also drop off your ballot at any early voting location during the early voting period.
Maybe. First-time voters in Massachusetts are sometimes required by federal law to present ID showing their name and the address where they registered to vote. If you are required to show ID, we will send you a notice with your ballot. Make sure you send a copy of your ID on the outside of your ballot envelope, because the ballot envelope can't be opened until it is time to count the ballots.
How can I return my ballot?You can return you ballot by mail or in person. If you are mailing your ballot, use the return envelope that was provided with the ballot, which is pre-addressed for your convenience. If you don't want to mail your ballot, you can drop if off at any of the drop boxes located across the City of Boston through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, as well as at an early voting location during the early voting period. You may also return your ballot to City Hall, during regular working hours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Our drop boxes will be monitored by surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week leading up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
When do I need to return my ballot?For the Municipal Election, if you're mailing your ballot, it needs to reach us by November 2, 2021. If you're hand-delivering your Municipal Election ballot to us or dropping it in a drop box, it needs to be returned by 8 p.m. on November 2.
Can I track my ballot?Yes, you can track your ballot on the state's website. This page will show you:
- if your application has been received
- the date your ballot is mailed
- the date your ballot is received at your local election office, and
- whether your ballot is accepted or rejected.
No, your ballot will not be counted if it arrives after the November 2, 2021, Municipal Election date. For the Municipal Election, all ballots must arrive by November 2, 2021. If you think your ballot may not arrive in time to be counted, consider returning it by hand-delivery or voting in person.
How do I know my ballot was counted?Your ballot will be counted in a public space, either at your polling place or at a central tabulation facility in Boston. You can use the state's website to confirm your ballot was accepted.
Why was my ballot rejected?If your ballot was rejected, it is most likely because you did not sign the affidavit on your ballot envelope. The Boston Election Department will notify you if your ballot is rejected and the reason it was rejected.
If there is enough time left before the election, you will also be sent a new ballot. You will also have the option of voting in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day.