991,828 people have voted early in Massachusetts so far. Here's a look at the numbers.
BOSTON - Early voting in Election 2024 is off to a strong start in Massachusetts.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, the secretary of state's office said 991,828 people have already voted, 11 days before Election Day.
That's 19.6 percent of registered voters in Massachusetts.
Early voting
According to the state, 767,664 ballots have been cast by mail. Another 224,164 have gone to a polling place to vote early.
Early voting in Massachusetts started last Saturday, October 19. It will end on Friday, November 1.
Every town has it, but you need to check with your local election office for their specific hours.
Early voting results
Even though so many people have already filled out their ballots and returned them, the results of early voting are not released early.
According to the secretary of state's website, local election officials can organize early ballots but they can't start counting them or release any vote totals "until polls close on Election Day."
How to vote
If you don't want to wait until Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, there are two ways to vote - by mail or during the early voting period.
If you want to vote by mail, the state of Massachusetts may have already reached out to you. The secretary of state's office sent out applications to all registered voters 45 days before Election Day.
If you didn't get it or didn't fill it out, you can still request a ballot by filling out an application online.
They recommend you "apply as early as possible" because the U.S. Postal Service says you should allow up to seven days for delivery of your ballot. You can track your mail-in ballot here.
You can also vote early, in person, in your town, during their specific hours. The most popular times are on the weekends. You don't have to make an appointment, you just have to be registered to vote.
Remember, once you fill out the ballot and turn it in, that's it. You can't take your ballot back - whether it's voting by mail, voting early or voting on Election Day.
