2021-2022 IMPORTANT VOTER INFORMATION
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Massachusetts Primary
Election Day is September 6, 2022 – Polling hours: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
All MA Voting Information is at MA Secretary of State – Elections Division: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htm
Voter Registration – last day to register to vote is: August 27, 2022.
- Note: If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you can register and vote all on the same day on 8/27/22. There is a one (1) day overlap when you may register to vote AND cast a provisional ballot on August 27, 2022.
Vote by Mail Application Deadline – request your ballot on or before: August 29, 2022.
This is new this year as you may vote by mail, just request your ballot prior to the deadline!
Early Voting days: August 27 – September 2: Early voting locations are different than on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Primary Election Day
Check for your early voting location: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/WhereDoIVote
Call your elections official for early voting poll hours. Find your election officials contact information at the Where Do I vote link above.
On Ballot: Representative in Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Governor’s Council, State Senator, State Representative, District Attorney, Sheriff, County Commissioner (only in certain counties).
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Voter Registration Deadline: October 29, 2022
Vote by Mail Application Deadline: November 1, 2022
Early Voting: October 22 – November 4
Election Day Polling Hours: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
On Ballot: Representative in Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Governor’s Council, State Senator, State Representative, District Attorney, Sheriff, County Commissioner (only in certain counties), statewide ballot questions.*
*Ballots in some counties and communities may have additional local offices and questions.
Register to Vote in Massachusetts
- Register to Vote here https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/
- Confirm that you are registered to vote here https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx
Massachusetts State Election Tuesday, November 8, 2022
- MA Statewide Office Elections Schedule 2022 – 2028 https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elesched/schedidx.htm
Includes U.S. Reps, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of Commonwealth, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Governor’s Council, State Senators and Representatives, County Commissioner, District Attorney and Sheriff
VOTER RESOURCES TO PROTECT, EXPAND, & EMPOWER VOTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS:
Common Cause Massachusetts
Common Cause MA is a very active group pioneering many voting reforms. They continue to help write and pass improved voting laws. They have many resources with one of the best “go-to” sites for voting information, and are working on multiple initiatives around voting and election security. Contact Geoff Foster, Executive Director in MA, for more information: gfoster@commomcause.org
Massachusetts Immigrant Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
MIRA works to protect and support the most vulnerable, especially those at risk of deportation, so they can make the most of their talent and labor. They encourage green card holders to become U.S. citizens, and naturalized Americans to vote and become civically engaged.
Massachusetts League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (both locally and nationally) provides leadership on election reforms, and clear actionable information about many democratic processes. These include: Election Day registration, ranked choice voting, expanded early voting, stronger election audits. This site also has toolkits for voting-related actions and information, including how to become a poll worker.
Massachusetts Voter Table
The Massachusetts Voter Table integrates nonpartisan voter engagement with grassroots organizing. With their 23 coalition members, they fight for resources, representation, and power for communities of color, working-class people, new citizens, and youth in Massachusetts.
MASSPIRG Students
The MASSPIRG New Voters Project works on dozens of campuses across the state to activate the largest voting block in the country. Through class presentations, education events, and on line outreach, we work to make sure every student has the opportunity to have their voice heard in our elections.
MassVOTE
MassVOTE is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that seeks to increase voter participation in MA. It advocates for electoral justice for the sake of building a government truly representative of the people. In 1999, a small group of community leaders came together to close the voter turnout gap between white, suburban areas and urban communities of color.
Today MassVOTE works on a nonpartisan basis to increase voter registration, education, and participation in historically underrepresented communities in Massachusetts to promote social, economic, environmental, and racial justice.
NAACP Chapters
The NAACP has a very long, distinguished record of securing voting rights and eliminating race-based discrimination. Nationally and with more than 2,000 “chapters” across the nation they work on voter registration, increasing voter turnout among the Black population, and building “relational organizing” in communities and on college campuses.
Neighbor to Neighbor MA
In an era of income inequality, environmental degradation, and racism, their chapters in Lynn, Worcester, Springfield, and Holyoke are building the power to confront this triple crisis in Massachusetts.
RESOURCES WITH ACTIONS TO EMPOWER VOTING CAMPAIGNS IN MASSACHUSETTS:
American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU) Massachusetts
For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has worked every day in the courts, in the legislature, and in communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, Bill Rights, and laws of the United States. Their web site contains sample messages to legislators and a Public Advocacy Volunteer sign up.
Indivisible Mass Coalition (IMC)
IMC’s vision is to realize the promise of democracy and justice for everyone in MA and the country.
IMC is a statewide organization of volunteers, which provides resources, support and services to the diverse Indivisible members and groups to strengthen constituent power in Massachusetts and improve democracy.
Join the IMC Slack workspace
In IMC Slack channels see #at-safeguard-elections and #calls-to-action. The Safeguard Elections Action Team meets regularly to discuss election legislation and issues in MA and actions focused on elections in MA and the nation. The #calls-to-action channel has more actions on many issues to improve our democracy.
MA-Swing Blue Alliance (SBA)
(formerly Swing Left Greater Boston)
SBA is the largest all-volunteer Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in MA. Swing Blue Alliance (formerly Swing Left Greater Boston) is the largest all-volunteer Democratic organization headquartered in Massachusetts. It uses proven methods to protect our democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level.
It works in collaboration with organizations on the ground in swing states, and designs and implements actions that are helpful, impactful, measurable, and non-duplicative. Through postcard and letter writing, phone banking, fundraising, canvassing, and more, it empowers local organizers around the nation, building engaged community networks, and amplifying winning Democratic strategies. Swing Blue Alliance is now an Indivisible Mass Coalition group and a partner with SwingLeft.
VOTER RESOURCES TO PROTECT, EXPAND, & EMPOWER VOTERS IN OTHER STATES:
America Votes
Works with over 400 state and national partner organizations on general voter registration issues including same-day registration, online registration, automatic registration, broader voting issues, and restoring voting rights.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ)
Primary focus is on immigrant rights and citizenship. But an active voting rights team has an Election Day Protection Hotline, and a guide for Language Rights and Voting.
Brennan Center for Justice
Brennan Center works to reform and defend our country’s system of democracy and justice. It crafts innovative policies and fights for them in Congress and the courts. Their issues include elections, voting, gerrymandering, and fair representation.
Center for Common Ground & Reclaim Our Vote
Center for Common Ground
Reclaim Our Vote
Focuses on underserved communities that require voter services including voter registration, photo ID review, restoring voting rights, and even rides to the polls. Reclaim Our Vote is a campaign arm of Center for Common Ground and lists actions for voting campaigns.
Democracy Docket
Democracy Docket is the leading progressive media platform dedicated to providing information, opinion and analysis about voting rights, elections and democracy.
Get the latest on voting, elections and redistricting sent straight to your inbox.
Fair Fight
As the result of massive voter disenfranchisement, Fair Fight 2020 was created by Stacey Abrams, and is building voter protection teams in Democratic state parties or with local allies across the country to protect the right to vote. Engagement varies by state, and the work complies with each state’s unique campaign finance laws. Started in Georgia and has expanded into several other states. Check the website for more details.
Fair Vote
They advocate for Ranked Choice Voting, collaborating with several other organizations, both in MA and nationally.
Massachusetts Prisoners and Organizers Working for Enfranchisement and Restoration (MASS Power)
Emancipation Initiative
Focused on restoring voting rights for people who are incarcerated.
National Conference Of State Legislators
NCSL On-line voting registration
National Conference of State Legislators, providing information for the 40 states (and Wash. DC) with online voter registration.
Rock The Vote
Uses a wide array of media and music venues to get young voters registered and to the polls
Southern Poverty Law Center Voting Rights
Through litigation, legislation, and education, they work on ending voter suppression and ensuring that everyone can make their voices heard at the ballot box.
States with critical actions include: Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana.
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Their mission is to end the incarceration of women and girls and their organizing inside prison in 2010 led to their national work in 2015 to establish The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. This group is also working to advance jail-based voting reform.
Voting Rights Lab
A team of policy experts has produced a first-of-its-kind detailed look at state voting laws and will provide detailed analysis of all pending voting legislation across the 50 states throughout the year.
The State Voting Rights Tracker by the Voting Rights Lab represents an unprecedented, multi-year effort to document and analyze voting and election laws across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Tracker also includes detailed, near-real time analysis on voting rights legislation pending across the country.
The end result is a one-of-a-kind tool that supports policy experts, advocates, researchers, legislators and anyone on the frontlines of the voting rights movement with critical information about the laws and legislation shaping voting rights in America.
Voto Latino
Focused on young Latinx activists, they have three approaches: Civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development. They’ve been very active (and successful) with voter registration drives and Get-Out-The-Vote in several states.
Voter Protection Project
Advocates for an aggressive agenda expanding voting rights and fighting against voter suppression.
RESOURCES WITH ACTIONS TO EMPOWER VOTING CAMPAIGNS IN OTHER STATES:
Alliance for Youth Action
Focused on registering young voters in several states (typically in partnership with local organizations) and teaching organizing and leadership skills. Their network hustles to ensure young people’s voices are heard and their power is flexed on the local, state, and national levels in nearly 20 states to drive civic participation up and down the ballot.
Black Voters Matter
Its goal is to increase power in its communities. Effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. Increasing voter registration and turnout is an important aspect of building power, but this is just the beginning of their work. This organization advocates for policies to expand voting rights/access, including expanded early voting, resisting voter ID, re-entry restoration of rights, and strengthening the Voting Rights Act. It also advocates for policies that intersect with race, gender, economic and other aspects of equity. Website has sign-up for multiple types of actions.
Color of Change
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, helping people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, they move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.
Join a racial justice movement that is WINNING for Black people and their allies. When you join Color Of Change, they’ll send you meaningful actions you can take to fight for racial justice. Many voting issues are covered on this website.
Field Team 6
This highly effective group is “A national volunteer army with a simple mission: Register Democrats. Save the world.” They focus on training volunteers to register and educate Democrats in crucial battlefields across the country. This site has an up-to-date calendar of actions aimed at CA, AZ, PA, NC, and others.
Lift Every Vote
A collaboration to fight voter suppression and support voting rights, voter registration, and vote integrity.
Swing Left
Swing Left is building a lasting culture of grassroots participation in winning elections for the Left by making it as easy as possible for anyone to have maximum impact on the elections. This site has many opportunities to take actions in key states.
Vote Forward
A nonprofit group empowering grassroots volunteers to help register voters from under-represented demographics and encourage them to vote. They coordinate with local and national organizations for voter registration and Get-Out-The-Vote initiatives.
When We All Vote
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. They empower supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.