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More than 2,000 Winchester voters had cast ballots in the Nov. 3 state election by Thursday afternoon. Residents who are not yet registered have until Saturday, Oct. 24, to join them.
As of 4 p.m. Oct. 22, the town had recorded 2,073 ballots, according to municipal figures from the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Of those, 1,544 were returned by mail and 529 were cast in person at Town Hall, 71 Mount Vernon St. The total is 12.1% of Winchester’s 17,195 registered voters. Statewide, 541,346 ballots had been cast among 5,174,124 registered voters, or 10.5%.
HOW TO REGISTER
Massachusetts closes registration 10 days before an election. Residents with a signature on file at the Registry of Motor Vehicles can register onlineuntil 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Paper forms sent by mail must be postmarked by Oct. 24.
In-person registration closes at 5 p.m. Saturday, according to the state and a notice from Town Clerk MaryEllen Marshall. Residents without a state ID can complete the online form, print and sign it, then bring it to the clerk’s office on the first floor of Town Hall.
Early voting ends at 3 p.m. that day, so anyone hoping to register and vote in one trip should arrive before then. Residents who have moved since they last voted can check their registration status and update their address under the same deadline.
OTHER WAYS TO VOTE
Early voting continues in the Winchester Room on the first floor of Town Hall, 71 Mount Vernon St., through Oct. 30. Remaining hours are 8 a.m. to noon Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, through Thursday, Oct. 29; and 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Oct. 30. The full schedule is posted on the town’s early voting page.
The town had mailed 4,339 ballots by Thursday, and 1,544 of them, or 35.6%, had come back. Clerk’s office staff will begin removing early and mail ballots from their envelopes Sunday, Oct. 25, under a state law that permits advance processing. No results may be announced before polls close Nov. 3.
Requesting a mail ballot and returning one are separate steps. Applications must reach the clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, through the state’s vote-by-mail system, by mail or by email with a handwritten signature rather than a typed one.
Completed ballots can be left in drop boxes at the front and back of Town Hall or delivered to the clerk’s office, and they must arrive by 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Mailed ballots count if postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Friday, Nov. 6. Ballots cannot be dropped off at the polls, and voters can track their ballot online.
On Election Day, all eight precincts vote in the Winchester High School gymnasium, 80 Skillings Road, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voters who requested a mail ballot but have not returned it may still vote in person. Once the clerk’s office receives a mail ballot, it counts as cast.
Residents unsure of their status should check online before Saturday’s deadline or call the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-721-7130.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He is also the founder and editor of The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
