Can You Change Your Vote After Submitting It In Massachusetts? It Depends
BOSTON (CBS) – With Massachusetts residents and other states across the country voting early in large numbers, many ballots have already been cast. But what happens if an early voter changes their mind?
Google saw a spike in the number of searches for the topic in the days immediately following the October 23 debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
When you break it down by state, both New Hampshire and Maine were among the top five states where people searched "can I change my vote?"
President Trump brought the subject to the forefront on Tuesday, claiming "This refers changing it to me" and adding "The answer in most states is YES."
The Massachusetts Secretary of State's includes a frequently asked question "If I vote by mail, can I change my mind and vote in person?"
"It depends," the answer begins. "If you mailed your early ballot back and it was accepted by your local election office, then your ballot is considered to be cast and you can't vote again. If your ballot never reached your local election office, or if it was rejected for some reason, then you can vote in person."
The New Hampshire Secretary of State's office said voters who cast their ballots absentee have the opportunity to show up on Election Day before their ballot is processed and use an in-person ballot instead.
In Maine, there is no early voting, only in-person absentee voting in the presence of a clerk or absentee by mail. Anyone who completed an absentee ballot before Election Day has voted and cannot get another ballot.
"We are advising voters that if you requested an absentee ballot, you have committed to voting in that method and should vote the ballot you receive," said Kristen Schulze Muszynski, director of Communications for Maine's Department of the Secretary of State. "We cannot provide two ballots to each voter for those who change their minds; we will run out of ballots, which will cause significant delays on Election Day."
